General News
Supreme Court Grants State Governors 7 Days to Respond to FG’s Suit for Local Government Autonomy
By Iyojo Ameh
The Supreme Court, Thursday, gave the 36 State Governors seven days to file their defence in reponse to the Federal Government suit seeking autonomy for 774 local governments in the country.
The Apex court also ordered the AGF to, upon receipt of the governors defence, file his reply within two days.
The urgency of the matter prompted the court to demand swift action, emphasizing that all processes must be completed within the stipulated timeframe.
Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) Lateef Fagebemi SAN presented the application for an abridgment of time, which the court granted without objection from the attorneys general of the states.
Justice Lawal underscored the national urgency of the suit and emphasized the necessity for prompt action by all parties involved.
Meanwhile, the matter has been adjourned to June 13 for the hearing of the suit, signaling a pivotal moment in the ongoing legal battle between the Federal Government and the state governors over local government autonomy.
The Federal Government, represented by the AGF, Prince Lateef Fagbemi SAN, initiated the lawsuit, alleging misconduct in local government administration by the state governors. The crux of the lawsuit revolves around the demand for full autonomy for local governments as the third tier of government in Nigeria.
In the suit marked SC/CV/343/2024, the AGF seeks several key orders from the Apex Court, including:
– Prohibiting State Governors from unilaterally dissolving democratically elected local government leaders.
– Directing the direct allocation of funds from the Federation Account to local governments, bypassing alleged unlawful joint accounts created by governors.
– Halting the appointment of Caretaker Committees to oversee local government affairs, insisting on constitutionally recognized democratic systems.
