The Supreme Court has given 36 state governors seven days to present their defense in a case filed by the Federal Government concerning the management of local council funds.
Led by Justice Mohammed Lawal Garba, a seven-member panel also mandated the Federal Government to file its reply within two days after receiving the governors’ responses.
The court issued these orders following an application by the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), who requested a shortened timeline for submitting relevant documents due to the case’s urgency.
While the states’ Attorney-General, Ben Odoh, requested 15 days, the court decided on seven days given the case’s national importance and urgency.
The hearing is scheduled for June 13. The attorneys-general from Borno, Kano, Kogi, Niger, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, and Sokoto states were absent and will receive fresh hearing notices.
The case, filed under “SC/CV/343/2024,” accuses governors of mismanaging local government funds and unlawfully dissolving elected local government leaders.
The Federal Government seeks orders to prohibit governors from dissolving local councils unilaterally, ensure funds are directly allocated to local governments, and prevent governors from appointing administrators in place of elected officials.
The suit is based on 27 grounds, emphasizing the need to uphold the Constitution.
