The Supreme Court, on Thursday, reserved judgement in a suit filed by the federal government against the governors of the 36 states of the federation to enforce the autonomy of administration of local government areas as stipulated in the Nigerian constitution.
Garba Lawal, who led a seven-member panel of Justices of the Supreme Court, reserved judgement after all parties adopted their various written addresses earlier.
Mr Lawal said the date for judgement would be communicated to the parties later
The Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), had on behalf of the federal government sued the 36 states over the manner the governors are running the local governments’ funds.
In the suit marked SC/CV/343/2024, the AGF prayed the court for an order prohibiting state governors from unilateral, arbitrary and unlawful dissolution of democratically elected local government executives.
Mr Fagbemi in the originating summons prayed the Supreme Court for 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.
He also sought an order of the court stopping governors from constituting caretaker committees to run the affairs of local governments as against the constitutionally recognised and guaranteed democratic system.
He also applied for 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 benefit of local governments when no democratically elected local government system is put in place.