Justice Garba Lawal-led seven-man panel of the court approved the matter for judgement after governors of the 36 States of the Federation, through their respective Attorney-Generals, adopted their briefs of argument.
By Ife Osemedua
Justice Garba Lawal-led seven-man panel of the court approved the matter for judgement after governors of the 36 States of the Federation, through their respective Attorney-Generals, adopted their briefs of argument.
365Daily – The Supreme Court on Thursday reserved its judgement on the suit filed by the Federal Government (FG) to secure full autonomy for the 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the country.
Similarly, the Supreme Court rejected applications files by Speakers of some Houses of Assembly to be joined as interested parties in the matter.
In its June 14, 2024 ruling, Justice Garba Lawal-led seven-man panel of the court approved the matter for judgement after governors of the 36 States of the Federation, through their respective Attorney-Generals, adopted their briefs of argument.
In separate preliminary objections filed before the apex court, the respective Governors sought the dismissal of the suit with substantial cost.
They argued that the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), acting on behalf of the FG, lacked the legal right to do so.
In addition, they accused the AGF of breaching their right to fair hearing by failing to serve them with a copy of a further affidavit he filed in support of the suit.
They further argued that some of the states already have democratically elected LG officials in place, and therefore, the suit is an abuse of the judicial process.
After the presentations, the panel said it would communicate the judgement date to them.
The FG suit marked SC/CV/343/2024, also prayed the court to issue an order prohibiting state governors from embarking on unilateral, arbitrary and unlawful dissolution of democratically elected local government leaders.
It also sought an order permitting the funds standing in the credits of local governments to be directly channelled to them from the Federation Account in line with the provisions of the Constitution as against the alleged unlawful joint accounts created by governors.
Other prayers are for an order stopping governors from further constituting Caretaker Committees to run the affairs of local governments as against the Constitutionally rrecognised nd guaranteed democratic ssystem.
An order of injunction, restraining the governors, their agents and privies, from receiving, spending or tampering with funds released from the Federation Account for the benefits of local governments when no democratically elected local government system is put in place in the states.