Kayode Lawal, Abuja.
The Supreme Court has reserved judgment in the suit by the Federal Government against the 36 State Governors seeking full autonomy for the 774 local governments in the country.
Justice Garba Lawal on Thursday announced that parties in the matter would be communicated once the judgment is ready.
He announced the reservation of the judgment after the seven-man panel of the Apex Court had taken adoption of processes filed by the Attorney General of the Federation AGF, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN on behalf of the Federal Government and those of the 36 State Governors.
At Thursday’s proceedings, Fagbemi pleaded with the Supreme Court to grant all the reliefs sought by the Federal Government in the suit.
However, the governors through their respective State Attorneys General and Commissioner for Justice opposed the request and asked the court to dismiss the suit.
Fagbemi had on behalf of the Federal Government initiated the legal action against the governors, primarily seeking full autonomy for local governments as three tiers of government in the country.
In the suit marked SC/CV/343/2024, the AGF is praying the Apex Court for an order restraining state governors from unilaterally, arbitrarily and unlawfully dissolving democratically elected local government leaders.
The Chief law officer of the Federation, in the original summons which he personally signed, is also praying the Supreme Court for an order to allow the funds in the appropriations of the local governments to be channeled directly to them from the Federation Account in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution against the alleged illegal joint accounts created by the governors.
He also sought the order of the Apex Court to prevent the governors from constituting inner committees to conduct the affairs of the local governments, against the democratically recognized and guaranteed system.
In addition, the Federal Government sought an order prohibiting governors, agents and their privies from receiving, spending or handling funds released from the Federation Account for the benefit of local governments when no democratically elected local government system is in place. States.
The governors were sued through their respective state Attorneys General.
The suit is predicated on 27 grounds, which include the fact that the Federation of Nigeria is a creation of the 1999 Constitution, with the President as the head of the federal executive arm of the Federation and sworn to uphold and implement the provisions of the Constitution.
Meanwhile, the court bluntly refused to allow the State Houses of Assembly to be joined as defendants in the suit of the Federal Government against the 36 State Governors seeking full autonomy for the 774 local governments in the country.
The Apex Court held that the Houses of Assembly have no business to be in the matter for reasons of law and jurisdiction.
President of the Nigeria Bar Association, Yakubu Maikyau SAN at Thursday’s proceedings applied on behalf of the Speaker of Kebbi State House of Assembly seeking to be joined as a party in the matter.
However before the senior lawyer could go deeper, Justice Lawal cut in and asked if the State Houses of Assembly can legally join a matter between the Federal Government and the State Governors.
Justice Lawal also challenged the NBA President if the Apex Court has jurisdiction as a court of first instance in any matter involving the State Houses of Assembly?
Based on the hint of the Court, Maikyau attempted to cite authority to back up the request of his client but in the end, the authority did support the request.
He promptly withdrew from the proceedings and the court thereafter adopted submissions of the Federal Government and those of the State Governors.
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