From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
The Supreme Court has reserved judgment in the suit filed by the Federal Government against the 36 state governors seeking full autonomy for the 774 local governments.
Justice Garba Lawal announced that parties in the matter would be communicated once the judgment is ready.
This followed the adoption of processes filed by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, on behalf of the Federal Government and those of the 36 State Governors.
At yesterday’s proceedings, the AGF pleaded with the apex court to grant all the reliefs sought by the Federal Government in the suit. However, the governors through their respective Attorneys General and Commissioner for Justice opposed the request and asked the court to dismiss the suit.
The states, in separate preliminary objections they filed before the apex court, sought the dismissal of the suit with substantial cost.
They contended that the Attorney-General of the Federation, who initiated the action on behalf of the Federal Government lacked the locus standi (legal right) to do so.
It was their contention that the AGF breached their right to a fair hearing when he failed to serve them with a copy of a further affidavit he filed in support of the suit.
The Federal Government had in the suit marked SC/CV/343/2024, prayed the Supreme Court to okay full autonomy for all the local governments, LGs, in the country as the third tier of government.
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.
The Federal Government prayed the court to issue an order prohibiting state governors from embarking on unilateral, arbitrary and unlawful dissolution of democratically elected local government leaders s well as 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.
The Federal Government prayed the Supreme Court for an order stop to governors from further constituting caretaker committees to run the affairs of local governments as against the constitutionally-recognised and guaranteed democratic system.