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LG Autonomy: FG Drags 36 Governors To Supreme Court

The suit requests the apex court to prohibit state governors from unilaterally, arbitrarily, and unlawfully dissolving democratically elected local government leaders.

By Musa Ibrahim

The Federal Government has initiated legal action against the Governors of the 36 States of the Federation at the Supreme Court, alleging misconduct in the administration of Local Government Areas (LGAs).

In the lawsuit, marked SC/CV/343/2024 and filed by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, the Federal Government is seeking full autonomy for all LGAs as the third tier of government.

The suit requests the apex court to prohibit state governors from unilaterally, arbitrarily, and unlawfully dissolving democratically elected local government leaders. It also seeks an order allowing funds allocated to local governments to be directly channeled to them from the Federation Account, in accordance with the Constitution, rather than through the alleged unlawful joint accounts created by governors.

Additionally, the Federal Government seeks an order to prevent governors from establishing Caretaker Committees to manage local government affairs, which contravenes the Constitution’s guarantee of a democratic system. An injunction is also requested to restrain governors, their agents, and associates from receiving, spending, or tampering with funds released from the Federation Account meant for local governments when no democratically elected local government system is in place in the states.

The governors of the 36 states were sued through their respective Attorneys General. In the 27 grounds supporting the suit, the Federal Government argued that Nigeria, as a federation, was established by the 1999 Constitution, as amended, with the President, as the head of the Federal Executive Arm, sworn to uphold and enforce the provisions of the Constitution.

It told the apex court: “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, states 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.

“That by the provisions of the Constitution, there must be a democratically elected local government system and that the Constitution has not made provisions for any other systems of governance at the local government level other than democratically elected local government system.

“That in the face of the clear provisions of the Constitution, the governors have failed and refused to put in place a democratically elected local government system even where no state of emergency has been declared to warrant the suspension of democratic institutions in the state.

“That the failure of the governors to put democratically elected local government system in place, is a deliberate subversion of the 1999 Constitution which they and the President have sworn to uphold.

“That all efforts to make the governors comply with the dictates of the 1999 Constitution in terms of putting in place, a democratically elected local government system, has not yielded any result and that to continue to disburse funds from the Federation Account to governors for non existing democratically elected local government is to undermine the sanctity of the 1999 Constitution.

“That in the face of the violations of the 1999 Constitution, the federal government is not obligated under section 162 of the Constitution to pay any State, funds standing to the credit of local governments where no democratically elected local government is in place.”

Consequently, FG, prayed the Supreme Court to invoke sections 1, 4, 5, 7 and 14 of the Constitution to declare that the State Governors and State Houses of Assembly are under obligation to ensure a democratic system at the third tier of government in Nigeria and to also invoke the same sections to hold that the governors cannot lawfully dissolve democratically elected local government councils.

It also prayed for the invocation of sections 1, 4,  5,  7 and 14 of the Constitution to declare that dissolution of democratically elected local government Councils by the Governors or anyone using the state powers derivable from laws enacted by the State Houses of Assembly or any Executive Order, is unlawful, unconstitutional, null and void.

In a 13 paragraghs affidavit that was deposed to by one Kelechi Ohaeri from the Federal Ministry of Justice, the AGF said he filed the suit under the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court, on behalf of the FG.

The deponent averred that local government system recognized by the Constitution is a democratically elected local government councils, adding that the amount due to local government Councils from the Federation Account is to be paid to local government system recognized by the Constitution.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has fixed May 30 to hear the suit.

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