The Supreme Court has postponed its decision on a pivotal case brought by the Federal Government, which seeks to establish complete autonomy for Nigeria’s 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs).
Presided over by Justice Garba Lawal, the seven-judge panel concluded the hearing after the Attorney-Generals of the 36 states presented their arguments.
The states have collectively challenged the lawsuit, demanding its dismissal and arguing that the Federal Government’s Attorney-General, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, does not possess the legal standing to file such a suit.
The states also accused the Attorney-General of violating their right to a fair hearing by not providing them with a copy of an additional affidavit supporting the Federal Government’s case.
Several states have further contested the lawsuit, maintaining that they already have democratically elected local government officials and asserting that the Federal Government’s action is an unnecessary legal overreach.
The Supreme Court has assured all parties that they will be notified of the judgment date in due course.
The Federal Government’s lawsuit seeks the court’s endorsement for full autonomy for all LGAs, preventing state governors from dissolving elected local government leadership at will.
Additionally, the Federal Government has requested the court to allow local government funds to be directly allocated from the Federation Account, in accordance with constitutional provisions, rather than through the joint accounts currently managed by state governors, which it claims are unauthorized.
