Federal Government Sues All 36 State Governors at Supreme Court, Demands Local Government Autonomy
The Federal Government has initiated legal action against the governors of all 36 states at the Supreme Court, citing alleged misconduct in the management of Local Government Areas (LGAs). The case, identified as SC/CV/343/2024, was filed by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN).
The government is seeking full autonomy for LGAs, aiming to establish them as the third tier of government. The suit requests that the Supreme Court prohibit state governors from unilaterally dissolving democratically elected local government officials. Additionally, it seeks to ensure that funds allocated to local governments are directly transferred to them from the Federation Account, in accordance with constitutional provisions, rather than through joint accounts managed by state governors.
The Federal Government also calls for an end to the practice of appointing caretaker committees to run local governments, advocating instead for constitutionally guaranteed democratic systems. An injunction is sought to prevent governors and their agents from handling or using funds meant for local governments unless a democratically elected system is in place.
The suit argues that the governors’ failure to establish democratically elected local government systems constitutes a deliberate violation of the 1999 Constitution, undermining its sanctity. Efforts to ensure compliance with constitutional requirements for local government elections have been unsuccessful. Consequently, the Federal Government asserts that it is not required to disburse funds from the Federation Account to states lacking democratically elected local governments, as per Section 162 of the Constitution.
