LG Autonomy: Supreme Court says it will deliver Judgement on Thursday

The Supreme Court is set to deliver judgment on the all important suit seeking full autonomy for the 774 local governments in the country on Thursday, July 11.

The notices have being have been dispatched to all the lawyers in the suit.
recall that the Federal Government instituted the suit against all the 36 states of the federation.

In the suit filed by the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, the Federal Government is also asking for an order preventing the governors from arbitrarily dissolving democratically elected councils.

The Federal Government also requested the apex court to authorise the direct transfer of funds from the federation account to local governments — in accordance with the Constitution.

The suit has 27 grounds.

“That the Constitution of Nigeria recognizes federal, states and local governments as three tiers of government and that the three recognized tiers of government draw funds for their operation and functioning from the federation account created by the constitution,” the originating summons reads.

“That by the provisions of the constitution, there must be a democratically elected local government system and that the constitution has not made provisions for any other systems of governance at the local government level other than the democratically elected local government system.

“That in the face of the clear provisions of the constitution, the governors have failed and refused to put in place a democratically elected local government system even where no state of emergency has been declared to warrant the suspension of democratic institutions in the state.