The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has cautioned the state leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) against embarking on its planned three-day sympathy strike and picketing of United Bank for Africa (UBA) branches over the lingering dispute surrounding local government allocations.

The state chapter of the NLC had said in a communique signed by Christopher Arapasopo, its chairman that the sympathy strike that would begin on the 8th of November, 2026 would end at midnight on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, and would be subsequently followed by peaceful picketing of all United Bank for Africa (UBA) branches across Osun State from Thursday, November 12.

The party also called on the police and other security agencies to remain on alert ahead of the planned action, warning that any breakdown of law and order should attract the arrest and prosecution of those responsible.

In a statement issued on Tuesday by Kola Olabisi, the party’s Director of Media and Information, the APC said, “we consider it a criminal act for the state NLC to contemplate the threat of industrial action and picketing against UBA as such is counterproductive because legal and administrative disagreements should ideally be addressed through appropriate institutional channels.”

The party further said, “being a labour leader does not make someone to be above the laws of the land; it should not be a licence to brazenly promote crises in the society and utterly becomes a willing tool in the hands of the state with an ulterior mission to constantly rock the public peace in the society.

“Should there be a breakdown of law and order based on the planned illegal strike of the Osun State NLC led by Arapasopo, the police and other statutory security services should not hesitate where to beam their searchlight on with a view to arresting and prosecuting the perpetrators.

“It is our resolve that the bank should be allowed to operate in accordance with lawful directives and applicable financial regulations without undue political pressure.

“While we are acknowledging the need for the organised labour to protect workers’ salaries, pensions and allowances, we are faulting the labour union’s approach in this situation as it had failed to adequately account for the legal questions surrounding the leadership of the councils.

“It is misplaced and unheard of for the organised labour to willingly disregard the rights of the reinstated elected APC chairmen and councillors because they belong to a political party different from that of the state government,” the APC stated.

The APC maintained that the NLC should remain impartial in the dispute and prioritise workers’ welfare and respect for the rule of law, rather than allow partisan political considerations to influence its position on the local government crisis.

It argued that the allocations from the Federation Account belonged to the local government council areas and not the state government, citing the Supreme Court judgment on local government autonomy, which it said was intended to strengthen grassroots administration and development.

The statement partly reads: “the proposed Osun State NLC strike is evidently political as it is tailored at tilting public perception against the current occupants of local government offices in Osun State.

“There’s no justification for the proposed strike as the strikers have no business with the local government allocations; they have never come out to say their salaries were unpaid or delayed; they have never come out to complain about their entitlements, pensions, or other benefits being unpaid or delayed and they have never engaged in any discussion or agreement with the local government council authorities in the state.”

It called on the national leadership of the NLC to intervene and prevent its Osun State chapter from proceeding with the planned industrial action.