By Abiola Olawale
The Supreme Court, on Thursday, reserved judgment in a law case initiated by the Federal Government against the 36 states governors, regarding a demand for full autonomy for the 774 local governments in the country.
The presiding judge, Justice Garba Lawal held on Thursday that the court will communicate to all parties involved in the suit once the judgment is ready.
The reservation of judgement came after a seven-man panel of the court, led by Justice Lawal, on Thursday, adopted the respective arguments of the governors of the 36 states of the Federation and as well the Attorney-General of the Federal (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN.
The New Diplomat reports that FG, in the suit marked: SC/CV/343/2024, filed before the Supreme Court by the Minister of Justice is seeking an order granting the full autonomy for all LGAs in the country as the third tier of government.
The Federal Government in the lawsuit is also seeking an order barring state governors from embarking on unilateral, arbitrary and unlawful dissolution of democratically elected local government leaders.
Additionally, the Federal Government in the lawsuit is praying the court to grant an order permitting the funds standing in the credits of local governments to be directly channelled to them from the Federation Account in line with the provisions of the Constitution as against the alleged unlawful joint accounts created by governors.
In the 27 grounds it listed in support of the suit, FG, argued that Nigeria, as a federation, was a creation of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, with the President, as Head of the Federal Executive Arm, swearing on oath to uphold and give effects to provisions of the Constitution.
Part of the lawsuit reads: “That the governors represent the component states of the Federation with Executive Governors who have also sworn to uphold the Constitution and to at all times, give effect to the Constitution and that the Constitution, being the supreme law, has binding force all over the Federation of Nigeria.
“That the Constitution of Nigeria recognizes federal, state and local governments as three tiers of government and that the three recognized tiers of government draw funds for their operation and functioning from the Federation Account created by the Constitution.”
