The Supreme Court docket will right now (Thursday) ship judgment within the swimsuit instituted by the Federal Authorities in opposition to the 36 state governors of the federation on native authorities autonomy.
The swimsuit filed by the Legal professional Common of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), is looking for full autonomy and direct fund allocation to the 774 native governments within the nation.
It’s praying the apex court docket to make an order that funds of LG being run by caretakers appointed by governors as an alternative elected chairmen and councillors must be withheld.
However the 36 states, represented by their attorneys normal, opposed the swimsuit on numerous grounds, together with their rivalry that the Supreme Court docket lacked jurisdiction to entertain the swimsuit.
A seven-man panel of Supreme Court docket Justices led by Justice Garba Lawal, heard the swimsuit on June 13 and had reserved judgment.
Whereas Fagbemi represented the Federal Authorities within the swimsuit marked SC/CV/343/2024, the state governors have been represented by their AGs or legal professionals.
All of the states opposed the swimsuit and prayed the Supreme Court docket to dismiss it.
The AGF on his half, requested the apex court docket to grant all of the reliefs sought by the Federal Authorities and grant the native governments full autonomy because the third tier of presidency in Nigeria as stipulated within the 1999 structure.
The AGF prayed the court docket to order direct allocation of funds from the federation account to the native governments.
He seeks an order prohibiting the illegal dissolution of native authorities administration and the state governors’ appointment of caretaker committees to run the councils.
The swimsuit is hinged on 27 grounds that the Structure of Nigeria recognises federal, state and native authorities as three tiers of presidency.
It additionally averred that the three recognised tiers of presidency draw funds for his or her operation and performing from the federation account created by the structure.
The originating summons learn, “That by the provisions of the structure, there should be a democratically elected native authorities system and that the structure has not made provisions for another methods of governance on the native authorities degree apart from the democratically elected native authorities system.
“That within the face of the clear provisions of the structure, the governors have failed and refused to place in place a democratically elected native authorities system even the place no state of emergency has been declared to warrant the suspension of democratic establishments within the state.
“That the failure of the governors to place democratically elected native authorities system in place is a deliberate subversion of the 1999 Structure which they and the President have sworn to uphold.
“That each one efforts to make the governors adjust to the dictates of the 1999 Structure by way of putting in a democratically elected native authorities system has not yielded any outcome and that to proceed to disburse funds from the federation account to governors for non-existing democratically elected native governments is to undermine the sanctity of the 1999 structure.”
The AGF requested the apex court docket to invoke sections 1, 4, 5, 7 and 14 of the Structure to declare that the governors and state homes of meeting are below obligation to make sure democratically elected methods on the third tier.
In the meantime, the Nationwide Union of Native Authorities Staff mentioned it might maintain a nationwide day of prayer and fasting in the direction of victory for LG autonomy on the Supreme Court docket right now.
The Nationwide President of NULGE, Hakeem Ambali, made this recognized in a textual content message despatched to considered one of our correspondents on Wednesday.
“NULGE declares tomorrow (right now) a day of nationwide prayer and fasting in the direction of victory for native authorities autonomy at Supreme Court docket,” the message learn.