Supreme Court Set To Deliver Judgment On Local Government Autonomy On July 11

Supreme Court Set To Deliver Judgment On Local Government Autonomy On July 11

The Supreme Court will deliver its judgment tomorrow, Thursday, July 11, in the suit filed by the Federal Government against the 36 state governors, seeking full autonomy for the 774 local governments in the country……… CONTINUE READING

A document reviewed by DAILY POST at the apex court on Wednesday indicated that the parties involved have been notified through their respective lawyers.

Our correspondent noted that the notice of judgment delivery was served on the federal government via the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice at the Federal Ministry of Justice in Abuja.

DAILY POST recalls that Justice Garba Mohammed Lawal reserved judgment in the suit on Thursday, June 13, and stated that the parties would be informed once the judgment was ready.

Justice Lawal, who heads a 7-member panel of Justices at the apex court, announced the reservation of the judgment after both the federal government and the governors presented their cases.

The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, represented the federal government’s case, while the 36 state governors were represented by their respective lawyers.

The AGF urged the Supreme Court to grant all the reliefs sought by the Federal Government, which includes granting the local governments full autonomy as the third tier of government in Nigeria, as envisaged by the constitution.

The AGF argued that this autonomy should involve the direct allocation of funds from the federation account to the local governments, instead of the current system where governors oversee the councils’ finances.

Additionally, the AGF requested an order to prohibit the unlawful dissolution of local government officials by the state governors.

However, the governors, through their respective Attorneys General, opposed the Federal Government’s request and asked the court to dismiss the suit.