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ABUJA, NIGERIA – The Nigerian government has filed a lawsuit against the governors of all 36 states at the Supreme Court, alleging misconduct in the administration of Local Government Areas (LGAs) across the country. Led by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), the government is advocating for full autonomy for local governments as the third tier of government.
The suit, identified as SC/CV/343/2024, aims to prevent state governors from unilaterally dissolving democratically elected local government leaders and to ensure that funds allocated to LGAs are directly channeled to them from the Federation Account, rather than being managed through joint accounts controlled by governors.
Furthermore, the government seeks to halt the appointment of Caretaker Committees to govern LGAs, insisting on the establishment of democratically elected structures in accordance with the Constitution. It also demands an injunction to prevent governors from accessing LGA funds in the absence of democratically elected local government systems.
According to the government’s argument before the apex court, governors have a constitutional duty to uphold democratic principles and establish democratically elected local government systems. Failure to do so, it contends, constitutes a violation of the Constitution and undermines the sanctity of Nigeria’s legal framework.
The affidavit supporting the government’s case emphasizes that the Constitution recognizes only democratically elected local government councils, and any dissolution of such councils by governors is deemed unlawful, null, and void.
The lawsuit, filed under the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court, underscores the government’s commitment to ensuring the proper functioning of local government administration in Nigeria. As the legal battle unfolds, the outcome could have significant implications for the distribution of power and resources at the grassroots level.
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