The Supreme Court has scheduled June 13 for the hearing of a suit initiated by the Federal Government against the 36 state governors concerning alleged misconduct in the management of local government affairs.
Justice Garba Lawal set the date while granting an application for abridgment of time made by Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, allowing all parties to file and exchange their legal documents promptly.
He directed the 36 state governors to file their defenses to the federal government’s suit, seeking full autonomy for the 774 local governments in the nation.
This decision, led by Justice Lawal and a seven-member panel of the apex court, was based on the national urgency of the case and the lack of objections from the attorneys general of the states.
Furthermore, the court instructed the attorney general of the federal federation to respond to the governors’ defense within two days of receiving it. Additionally, the eight states that were absent during the proceedings were ordered to be served with a new hearing notice.
The Federal Government’s suit, represented by Attorney General Lateef Fagbemi, seeks to ensure the autonomy of local governments as the third tier of government. It aims to prevent state governors from unilaterally dissolving democratically elected local government leaderships and redirecting funds designated for local governments to state coffers.
Fagbemi underscored the importance of adhering to constitutional provisions that mandate democratically elected local government systems and prevent the misuse of funds allocated for local development.
Despite efforts to compel compliance with the constitution, the AGF lamented the governors’ resistance to implementing democratically elected local government systems, emphasizing the need for legal intervention to enforce constitutional provisions and protect local governance.
