Osun NULGE Seeks Legal Exit from APC Chairmen Dispute Amid Appeal Court Ruling

Ilesa, Nigeria – In a surprising turn of events, the Osun State chapter of the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) has officially moved to discontinue its legal battle against the All Progressives Congress (APC) and elected local government chairmen installed after the disputed October 15, 2022, council polls.

This decision, seen as a critical pivot in Osun’s heated local government crisis, was communicated to the Osun State High Court sitting in Ilesa through a formal notice of discontinuance dated June 25, 2025. The document was signed by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Musbau Adetunbi, who represents NULGE in the ongoing legal proceedings.

The development comes after nearly a year of legal entanglements and administrative paralysis at the grassroots level of governance, stemming from the clash between the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state and the APC, now the opposition.

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Legal U-Turn as Appeal Court Ruling Influences NULGE Withdrawal

NULGE’s abrupt decision to withdraw its suit appears to be anchored on a recent judgment by the Court of Appeal delivered on June 13, 2025. The ruling, referenced as Appeal No. CA/AK/15/2025, reportedly addressed core legal questions that mirrored the arguments in NULGE’s original lawsuit, according to sources within the union.

In the notice submitted to the court, NULGE emphasized that the appellate court’s findings have essentially rendered their legal contest unnecessary. A copy of the appellate judgment was attached to the application to validate this claim.

The suit, originally filed under case number HIK/5/2025, had listed not only the APC and its controversial chairmen but also several security agencies—including the Inspector-General of Police, the Osun State Commissioner of Police, the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Commandant-General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). Additionally, the Governor of Osun State and the State’s Attorney General were named as defendants.

At Tuesday’s court session, S. Ayeni, standing in for Adetunbi, moved the application for withdrawal. However, the legal tussle did not end there. Counsel to the APC, Muhydeen Adeoye, strongly objected, arguing that a case cannot be withdrawn based on a judgment from another case, especially when the subject matter is not identical.

Grassroots Governance Crippled by Political Gridlock

The backdrop to this courtroom drama includes months of administrative stagnation at the local government level. Since the APC-backed chairmen took office, federal allocations to local councils in Osun have reportedly been suspended. In response, NULGE members have staged a work boycott, protesting what they deem an illegitimate occupation of local government secretariats by APC officials.

This labor unrest prompted NULGE’s original legal action earlier this year, aimed at ousting the APC chairmen and restoring order to the grassroots tier of government.

The APC, for its part, maintains that its chairmen were lawfully elected in 2022 and should be allowed to carry out their functions. The PDP-led state government, however, continues to contest the legitimacy of that election, which has long been shrouded in controversy.

The power tussle has not only strained relationships between civil servants and political officeholders but has also left vital public services in limbo, affecting communities that depend heavily on local government structures for daily governance.

Court Adjourns to November Amid Procedural Objection

Presiding over the case, Justice M. Agboola acknowledged the motion for discontinuance but stopped short of granting it. He instead directed the APC to file a formal response to the withdrawal application, following Adeoye’s procedural objections. The case was adjourned until November 25, 2025, for further deliberations.

As the legal drama continues to unfold, residents of Osun State remain hopeful that a resolution can soon be reached—one that restores both political stability and operational functionality to their local councils.