The Supreme Court has scheduled Thursday, May 30th, for the hearing of a suit brought by the federal government against the 36 state governors regarding full autonomy for local governments.
The suit, marked SC/CV/343/2024, was filed by the federal government through the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN).
It seeks an order to prevent state governors from unilaterally, arbitrarily, and unlawfully dissolving democratically elected local government leaders.
The federal government argued that Nigeria, as a federation, is created by the 1999 Constitution, with the President as the head of the Federal Executive arm, sworn to uphold and enforce the Constitution’s provisions.
The suit accused the state governors of gross misconduct and abuse of power, and they are being sued through their respective state Attorney-Generals.
Fagbemi has requested the Supreme Court to issue an order allowing the direct payment of local governments’ credits from the Federation Account, in accordance with the Constitution, instead of the alleged unlawful joint accounts created by governors.
He has also applied for an injunction restraining governors, their agents, and privies from receiving, spending, or tampering with funds meant for local governments from the Federation Account.
Additionally, the federal government seeks an order to prevent governors from constituting caretaker committees to run local governments, as opposed to the constitutionally recognized and guaranteed democratic system.
The originating summons, supported by a 13-paragraph affidavit deposed to by Kelechi Ohaeri from the Federal Ministry of Justice, asserts that the AGF filed the suit against the governors under the Supreme Court’s original jurisdiction on behalf of the federal government.
