El-Rufai first Northern gov to attempt granting local govt autonomy – Son

Kaduna North House of Representatives member, Bello El-Rufai has said former Governor Nasir El-Rufai was the first governor in Northern Nigeria who attempted to grant local government full autonomy.

Bello said history will vindicate El-Rufai for his effort.

Posting on X, he said: “Mal. @elrufai was the first Governor in Northern Nigeria to attempt granting local government full autonomy.

“History will vindicate Mallam Nasir El-Rufai.”

This is coming when the Supreme Court of Nigeria barred the Federal Government from paying local governments’ allocation through state governments.

In a landmark ruling, Justice Emmanuel Agim ruled that its was unconstitutional for state governments to hold on to the allocations of local governments.

He gave the ruling in the local government autonomy suit filed by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi on behalf of the Nigerian Government.

According to Agim, henceforth, no more payments of local government area allocations will be made to state government accounts.

The court also prohibited the governors from receiving, tampering with, or withholding funds meant for local governments.

Furthermore, the court barred the governors from dissolving democratically elected officials for local governments and deemed such actions a breach of the 1999 Constitution.