BY ANTHONY OCHELA, ABUJA
Supreme Court is set to deliver judgement on a suit on local government autonomy instituted by the federal government against the 36 state governors in Nigeria.
The Supreme Court has already informed all the parties and their lawyers about the date, according to a document relating to the matter.
It indicates that the notice for the delivery of the judgment was served on the Federal Government through the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice at the Federal Ministry of Justice in Abuja.
The Federal Government had instituted the legal action against the Governors of the 36 States of the Federation over alleged misconduct in the administration of Local Government Areas, LGAs.
The Federal Government,, in the suit marked: SC/CV/343/2024, which was filed by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, is seeking full autonomy for all LGAs in the country as the third tier of government.
It specifically prayed the apex court to issue an order, prohibiting state governors from embarking on unilateral, arbitrary and unlawful dissolution of democratically elected local government leaders.
As well as for an order permitting the funds standing in the credits of local governments to be directly channelled to them from the Federation Account in line with the provisions of the Constitution as against the alleged unlawful joint accounts created by governors.
Besides, the Federal Government prayed the Supreme Court for an order, stopping governors from further constituting Caretaker Committees to run the affairs of local governments as against the Constitutionally recognized and guaranteed democratic system.
It equally applied for an order of injunction, restraining the governors, their agents and privies, from receiving, spending or tampering with funds released from the Federation Account for the benefits of local governments when no democratically elected local government system is put in place in the states.
All parties had on May 30, 2024 during the court’s sitting adopted their briefs and the court subsequently reserved judgement.
