The Supreme Court has scheduled Thursday, July 11, to deliver the final judgment on the contentious issue of local government autonomy between the federal government and the 36 state governors.
According to a report from The Nation, the Supreme Court has notified all parties and their legal representatives about the judgment date. The Federal Government was served notice 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 is advocating for full autonomy for the 774 local governments across the country, a move strongly opposed by the state governments. On June 13, the Supreme Court reserved judgment on the federal government’s lawsuit against the 36 state governors concerning local government autonomy, with the ruling date to be communicated later.
A seven-member panel, led by Justice Mohammed Lawal Garba, announced the reservation of judgment after lawyers from both sides adopted their final addresses and made concluding submissions.
The federal government, represented by Attorney General Lateef Fagbemi, seeks an order from the Supreme Court to prevent state governors from unilaterally dissolving democratically elected local government leaders within their states. The originating summons, signed by the Chief Law Officer of the Federation, requests that funds allocated to local governments from the Federation Account be directly disbursed to them, bypassing the joint accounts currently controlled by state governors.
Additionally, the federal government seeks an order prohibiting governors from establishing caretaker committees to manage local government affairs, insisting on adherence to the constitutionally guaranteed democratic system.
The Supreme Court’s upcoming decision is expected to clarify the legal standing of local government autonomy in Nigeria.
