The presidency has reacted to Thursday’s victory against the 36 state governors at the Supreme Court on local government autonomy. The Supreme Court ruled that all federal allocations for local government councils should be paid directly into their accounts.
In Nigeria, most states operate a joint account with local governments. Justice Emmanuel Agim, who led a seven-member panel of justices, stated that local government allocations should be paid directly to a separate account belonging to each local government.
The federal government, through the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), approached the Supreme Court in a suit marked SC/CV/343/2024, seeking that 36 governors of the federation grant full autonomy to the 774 local governments.
Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, detailed the federal government’s prayers in the suit on his X handle on Thursday. He wrote, “The Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that all federal funds for local government councils should be paid directly into their accounts. Justice Emmanuel Agim, who led a seven-member panel of justices, delivered the judgment in a suit filed by the federal government against the 36 state governors.”
The judgment prohibits governors from receiving, tampering with, or withholding funds meant for local governments and bars governors from dissolving democratically elected officials for local governments, deeming such actions a breach of the 1999 Constitution.
The federal government accused the state governors of gross misconduct and abuse of power, based on 27 grounds. The originating summons prayed the Supreme Court to order that funds standing to the credit of local governments from the Federation Account be paid directly to the local governments rather than through the state governments. The justice minister also requested an order restraining governors, their agents, and privies from tampering with funds meant for local governments when no democratically elected local government system is in place in the states.
Ebonyi State Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Ben Odoh, said he awaits the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the Supreme Court judgment for the next move. As of the time of filing this report, Nigeria’s Attorney General, Fagbemi, was yet to release a statement on the ruling.
