NULGE strike ends after nearly a year as the National Union of Local Government Employees has directed its members to resume work across all local government councils from January 5, 2026. The decision brings an end to an 11-month shutdown of council activities in Osun State.
The strike began on February 18, 2025, following violent clashes sparked by a leadership tussle between the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party over control of local government councils. The crisis led to killings, injuries, and widespread insecurity around council secretariats.
During the standoff, APC-backed executives were reinstated and took over the councils, while the Federal Government released previously withheld allocations into accounts opened by them through the Central Bank of Nigeria. Several legal disputes linked to the crisis have since been resolved, though a case on tenure elongation filed by APC members is still pending.
Despite the unresolved suit, both political camps proceeded with governance activities. PDP chairmen presented their 2026 budgets to the Osun State House of Assembly, while APC chairmen presented budgets before legislative councils at the local government level.
In a statement signed by NULGE President Kehinde Ogungbangbe, the union said members were initially withdrawn to protect lives amid escalating violence. After extensive consultations, the union resolved that workers should return to duty.
Ogungbangbe called on security agencies to deploy adequate personnel to all 30 local government councils, area offices, and Local Council Development Areas to guarantee safety and prevent intimidation. He warned that failure to secure the secretariats could trigger fresh unrest.
NULGE also insisted that the APC-reinstated chairmen must recognise the expiration of their tenure, noting that officials elected on October 15, 2022, legally completed their term on October 30, 2025. The union said councils can be run administratively by Heads of Local Administration and senior directors, in line with Osun State law.
The NULGE strike ends amid lingering political tension, with the union warning that any breakdown of law and order after resumption would rest squarely on inadequate security arrangements.
