Court Delays Landmark Suit: ALGON’s Fight For LG Autonomy Hits Legal Snag

The case, which was supposed to be heard by Justice Inyang Ekwo, was delayed because the court did not sit on the scheduled date. As a result, the court has rescheduled the case for mention on May 29.

The plaintiff in the matter, referenced as FHC/ABJ/CS/353/2025, is the Registered Trustees of ALGON.

On July 11, 2024, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of granting financial autonomy to local governments across Nigeria. In response to allegations that state governments have not complied with this ruling, ALGON has filed the lawsuit.

The defendants in the case include the Attorney-General of the Federation, the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and 23 other parties, including the Minister of Finance, the Central Bank of Nigeria, state Commissioners for Finance, the Minister of Budget and National Planning, and the Accountant-General of the Federation. The suit also involves the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, several commercial banks, and an individual named Bello Lawal.

ALGON is seeking to ensure that the 774 local councils are represented at the Federation Account Allocation Committee meetings where financial allocations are discussed.

The plaintiffs have requested that the court confirm that, following the Supreme Court’s decision, the 1st to 8th defendants cannot distribute funds to the local councils without the approval of ALGON. They are also asking for a ruling stating that the 1st to 7th defendants cannot engage in any actions related to the funds allocated to the 774 councils without the involvement of their representatives.

The group argues that while the Supreme Court’s ruling is meant to strengthen local government administration, actions by the Attorney General of the Federation, the Ministry of Finance, state finance commissioners, and the Central Bank of Nigeria are undermining the implementation of the decision.