Just In: Supreme Court Stops FG From Paying Allocations To LGs With Unelected Officials

The Supreme Court, on Thursday, ruled that it is illegal for state governors to dissolve democratically elected Local Governments.

The apex court directed the Federal Government to henceforth withhold allocations to Local Governments governed by unelected officials appointed by the Governor.

The pronouncements were made in the ongoing judgment of the Supreme Court in the LG autonomy suit filed by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi SAN, on behalf is the Fed Govt.

In a related development, the court had earlier ruled that it is unconstitutional for state governors to withhold funds designated for local government administrations.

The landmark judgement, delivered by Justice Emmanuel Agim, emphasized that this practice contravenes financial autonomy rights of local governments and has persisted for over two decades.

In a resounding victory for local governance, the apex court’s decision mandates that all allocations from the Federation Account should henceforth be paid directly to the 774 local government councils across the country, rather than being filtered through state governors.

Justice Agim, dismissing preliminary objections by the state governors, ruled that local governments are entitled to manage their own funds independently.

The case was filed before the apex court by the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi.