The Osun State chapter of the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) has reaffirmed its opposition to illegality in the Local Government administration, even as the union debunked allegations that it was responsible for the non-release of State Local Government allocations.

Responding to Senator Iyiola Omisore and the state All Progressive Congress (APC), the union justified its stay-at-home action on the ground that it was meant to stop the imposition of court-sacked council chairmen as well as the payment of council funds through an account opening process that violated financial regulations.

According to the statement, the stay-at-home action was necessitated by the need to protect the members of the union due to a violent push to take over the leadership of local governments.

“We are not on strike. We only stayed away from the local government secretariats for fear of being caught in the crossfire. So, how has NULGE caused the non-payment of Osun local government Allocations ?”, the NULGE boss queried.

According to the state president of NULGE, Dr Nathaniel Ogungbangbe, the stay-away action was called to stop the destruction of the local government system through deliberate disregard for court rulings, especially as it affects the rightful elected leadership of the state’s local government system.

The union posited that the attempt to impose court-sacked chairmen was followed by a desperate bid by the state APC to change signatories to the local government accounts, a process that was opposed by the union.

Instead of allowing the HLA, DFA and DAGS the director to be signatories to the local government accounts as prescribed by law, the state APC attempted to create a nonexistent office of a treasurer in the account opening process, pushing out the career officers with direct responsibilities for management of the Fund across the local governments.

“Our union is not responsible for the fund seizure or non-release. The core issue is the attempt to pay the money to court court-sacked council chairmen of the APC.

“We call on the CBN and other federal authorities to allow duly elected council chairmen of the PDP to take office and for the right officials to be signatories to the local government accounts”.