The Supreme Court has declared that governors can no longer dissolve democratically elected Local Government (LG) councils. This ruling, delivered on Thursday, unequivocally states that such actions violate the 1999 Constitution.
The case was brought by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), who sought a decisive order to stop governors from their habit of arbitrarily dismantling local councils. With 27 solid grounds, the AGF’s suit aimed to put an end to this undemocratic practice.
Predictably, the 36 state governors, the defendants in this case, opposed the AGF’s move. They seemed to believe they had the right to rule their states like personal business.
But the Supreme Court wasn’t having any of it. In a stern judgment read by Justice Emmanuel Agim, the apex court made it clear that the governors had simply wasted everyone’s time. The court also took a significant step towards true federalism by granting financial autonomy to the 774 local government councils.
Justice Agim chastised the governors for their long-standing resistance to local government autonomy, underscoring that these councils should manage their own funds. In a move that would make any democratic enthusiast cheer, the court ordered that Local Government allocations from the Federation Account must henceforth be paid directly to them, bypassing the sticky fingers of state governments.
This ruling not only enforces constitutional adherence but also empowers local councils, marking a new chapter in Nigeria’s governance.
