Authorities in Osun State have intensified security operations around local government secretariats as rival council workers prepare to resume duties today, Monday, after an eight-month industrial shutdown.
The prolonged standoff stems from a bitter leadership dispute between the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which has produced two competing factions of local government officials popularly dubbed “sit-at-home” and “yes-or-no” chairmen and councillors.
The crisis deepened in February when the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) declared a strike on the 17th, following a Court of Appeal decision reinstating APC-backed chairmen — a move fiercely opposed by the PDP. In response, the PDP-led administration conducted a parallel council election on February 22, 2025, further polarizing the local government structure.
For months, council secretariats across Osun have remained locked, leaving governance at the grassroots in limbo. However, tensions flared again after the Federal Government reportedly recognized the APC faction by releasing six months’ worth of withheld allocations to accounts operated by the reinstated executives.
In reaction, the Association of Concerned Local Government Workers fixed October 6 for resumption of work, prompting the Osun State Police Command to deploy operatives across all 30 local government areas and local council development authorities.
Police spokesperson Abiodun Ojelabi confirmed the heightened security, assuring that the force would prevent a recurrence of the February 17 confrontation that erupted during the initial dispute.
“We won’t have a repetition of the February 17 incident in Osun State again on October 6,” Ojelabi said. “Even before the release of funds, we were on alert, especially at our local governments. The Commissioner of Police has directed all divisions to ensure peace and order are maintained.”
With both factions maintaining firm positions, all eyes are now on the security agencies to avert clashes as local government administration in Osun inches toward another critical test.
