Supreme Court Reserves Judgment in Federal Government’s Suit for Local Government Autonomy
The Supreme Court has reserved its judgment in the Federal Government’s lawsuit against the 36 state governors, which seeks full autonomy for the country’s 774 local governments.
Justice Garba Lawal announced on Thursday that the parties involved would be notified once the judgment is prepared. This announcement followed the adoption of legal processes filed by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, representing the Federal Government, and those submitted by the state governors.
During the proceedings, the AGF requested that the court grant all the reliefs sought by the Federal Government. In contrast, the state governors, represented by their respective Attorneys General and Commissioners for Justice, urged the court to dismiss the suit.
Fagbemi initiated this legal action on behalf of the Federal Government to secure full autonomy for local governments, positioning them as an independent tier of government. The AGF is seeking an order from the apex court to prevent state governors from unlawfully dissolving democratically elected local government officials, among other requests.
In related news, Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo has expressed opposition to local government autonomy, stating it contradicts the principles of true federalism. Speaking at The Platform Nigeria, an event organized by the Covenant Nation to mark Democracy Day 2024, Soludo argued that granting autonomy to local governments would regress Nigeria’s federal structure.
“There is no federal system globally with three federal units. In the U.S., where we modeled our democracy, local governments don’t receive funds directly from the central government. Each state should have the authority to design its local government system, which aligns with true federalism,” Soludo stated.
He further suggested that the Federal Government should devolve responsibilities listed under the Exclusive List to state governments, advocating for a redistribution of fiscal powers to allow states greater control.
Soludo also proposed consolidating the National Assembly into a single body with limited representatives per state to reduce costs. “We don’t need a National Assembly costing over N300 billion annually. A more efficient system is essential,” he remarked.
The event, themed ‘Democracy and the Free Market Economy,’ featured notable speakers including former Minister of Works Babatunde Fashola, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto Matthew Hassan-Kukah, and former Speaker of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara.