LG Autonomy: Panic Grips Governors Of 21 States After Supreme Court Rules Against Them (FULL LIST)

Panic has spread across at least 21 states following the Supreme Court’s decision to halt allocations to non-democratically elected local government chairmen.

The ruling, delivered on Thursday, marks a significant victory for local government autonomy, ending years of struggle for financial independence at the grassroots level.

In this landmark judgment, the Supreme Court mandated that funds from the federation account be paid directly into the bank accounts of the 774 local governments, bypassing state control. Justice Emmanuel Akomaye Agim, who delivered the lead judgment, declared that state Governors and their associates can no longer tamper with or withhold these funds.

The ruling also prohibits Governors from dissolving democratically elected local government officials, citing such actions as a violation of the 1999 Constitution. The unanimous decision by the seven-member panel of Justices supported the argument presented by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Olasunkanmi Fagbemi, SAN, that local governments are constitutionally recognized as the third tier of government.

The Justices agreed that state governors have been misusing constitutional provisions to engage in unconstitutional practices. The court upheld Fagbemi’s contention that while Governors could receive money on behalf of local governments, they were not permitted to spend it.

Additionally, the Supreme Court ordered the withholding of funds from local governments that do not have democratically elected officials. This directive affects local governments in states such as Jigawa, Rivers, Anambra, Kwara, Imo, Zamfara, Benue, Bauchi, Plateau, Abia, Enugu, Katsina, Kano, Sokoto, Yobe, Ondo, Osun, Delta, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River, which will not receive their July allocations from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC).

In response to the judgment, Anambra State Governor Prof. Chukwuma Soludo announced an emergency meeting of the Governors Forum. While acknowledging his own state’s lack of immediate plans for local government elections, Soludo praised the court’s decision as a democratic process that promotes accountability and transparency in the use of public resources.

As of now, the outcome of the Governors’ emergency meeting has not been disclosed.