The Supreme Court has deferred judgment in the case brought by the Federal Government against the 36 state governors, aiming to secure full autonomy for the 774 local governments in Nigeria.
Justice Garba Lawal announced that parties involved would be notified once the court’s decision is finalized, following the submission of arguments by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Prince Lateef Fagbemi SAN, on behalf of the federal government, and responses from the governors’ representatives.
During Thursday’s proceedings, AGF Lateef Fagbemi SAN urged the Supreme Court to grant all reliefs sought by the federal government in the lawsuit. Conversely, the governors, represented by their respective State Attorneys General and Commissioners for Justice, opposed the federal government’s requests and called for the dismissal of the suit.
The AGF, acting on behalf of the Federal Government, initiated the legal action against the governors in suit SC/CV/343/2024, primarily seeking full autonomy for local governments as constitutionally recognized tiers of government in Nigeria.
In the suit, Prince Lateef Fagbemi SAN requested the Supreme Court to issue orders restraining state governors from unilaterally, arbitrarily, and unlawfully dissolving democratically elected local government leaders. He also petitioned for an order directing funds allocated to local governments to be directly disbursed to them from the Federation Account, in accordance with constitutional provisions, rather than through purportedly illegal joint accounts managed by governors.
Furthermore, the AGF sought an injunction from the Supreme Court to prevent governors from appointing caretaker committees to oversee local governments, which contradicts the constitutionally mandated democratic system.
