The Supreme Court has reserved its judgment on the Federal Government’s lawsuit seeking full autonomy for the country’s 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs).
A seven-member panel, headed by Justice Garba Lawal, scheduled the matter for judgment after the governors of the 36 states, represented by their respective Attorney-Generals, presented their arguments.
The states, through preliminary objections, requested the dismissal of the suit, arguing that the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, did not have the legal standing to file the suit.
They also claimed that the AGF violated their right to a fair hearing by failing to provide them with a copy of a further affidavit filed in support of the case.
Several states highlighted that they already have democratically elected local government officials, asserting that the Federal Government’s suit constituted an abuse of judicial process.
Advertorial
After hearing from both sides, Justice Lawal’s panel indicated that it would announce the date for the judgment later.
The Federal Government’s suit seeks the Supreme Court’s approval for full autonomy for all LGAs, recognizing them as the third tier of government.
It also requests an order preventing state governors from unilaterally dissolving elected local government leaders and demands that local government funds be directly disbursed from the Federation Account, bypassing the allegedly unconstitutional joint accounts managed by state governors.
