Adebayo, Okechukwu, Ebonyi Attorney-General React To S’Court Ruling On LG Autonomy

Former presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Adewole Adebayo, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Osita Okechukwu, have expressed delight with the ruling of the Supreme Court on local government autonomy, while the Ebonyi State Attorney-General, Ben Odoh, said he would await a copy of the judgment to respond.

The former SDP presidential candidate, Adewole Adebayo, on Thursday, described state governments as mere post offices for mailing local government funds.

Adebayo said the ruling on the Supreme Court upholding financial autonomy for local governments was timely. He added that governors should be governors and not “chairmen-generals” of council areas.

On his X handle, Adebayo, who also is a lawyer, wrote, “I fully endorse today’s Supreme Court judgment in FGN vs. 36 states. States are mere post offices for mailing LG funds, and having been caught pilfering LG funds, they can be bypassed via direct payment. Governors have to be Governors of their States not Chairmen-General of LGAs.”

On his part, All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Osita Okechukwu, while speaking to newsmen outside the Supreme Court, on Thursday, said the judgment was historical.

He said democracy that disappeared at the local level has been restored to the grassroots.

“It is historical and has restored grassroots democracy that the state governors have played with for the last 25 years, because democracy disappeared fro our grassroots,” he said.

The former Director-General of Voice of Nigeria (VON) called on Nigerians to return to their local governments and hold their councillors and chairmen accountable.

Okechukwu said about 20.6 of federal government’s allocation goes to the local government level. He said if local government leaders are not held to account, fiscal responsibility would be gone.

He further thanked President Bola Tinubu and Nigeria’s Attorney-General, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), for their resolve to restore the autonomy of local governments.

“President Tinubu has been in the vanguard for local government autonomy, even as governor of Lagos,” he said.

On his part, Ebonyi State Commissioner of Justice and Attorney-General, Ben Uruchi Odoh, while speaking with AIT, monitored by our reporter, said he awaits the certified true copy of the judgment.

Odoh said he would be able to respond to the judgment when he gets the CTC of the ruling.