What LGA autonomy will do to Nigeria's democracy, Deji Adeyanju speaks

• Human rights activist Deji Adeyanju commends the Supreme Court’s ruling on local government autonomy
• Adeyanju warns that state governors are already seeking loopholes to circumvent the new autonomy law
• Adeyanju advocates for local government elections to be conducted by INEC, arguing that this shift would enhance electoral credibility

FCT, Abuja - In a significant development for local governance in Nigeria, human rights activist Deji Adeyanju has hailed the Supreme Court’s recent pronouncement on local government autonomy.

He described the ruling as a significant victory for democracy and transparency.

Human rights activist, Adeyanju speaks on LG Autonomy Photo credit: @Dejiadeyanju/@Naija_PR
Source: Twitter

Adeyanju spoke exclusively with Legit.ng on Saturday, July 13.

Adeyanju emphasized that this move aligns with the constitutional provisions and represents a step forward in curbing the longstanding issue of state governors exploiting local government funds.

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Adeyanju explained:

“It is not at variance with the provision of the constitution. However, it is the Judiciary that interprets the constitution and the pronouncement of the supreme court, which is the law in Nigeria. "We have been down this lane before, the Electoral Act, when the Supreme Court in its wisdom, interpreted the Electoral Act, progressively and it forced the legislature to make relevant amendments.”

He further elaborated on the significance of the Supreme Court’s ruling, stating:

“As it stands today, Local Government Autonomy has become a reality and it is for the progress of the wellbeing and growth of the nation. Because for too long, the governors have had a full day just looting and looting local government funds.”

Governors’ resistance and future challenges

Despite the progress, Adeyanju warned that state governors are already seeking ways to bypass the new law.

“That is not to say that the governors are not already looking for ways to circumvent the new pronouncement by the Supreme Court. "This is what they have always done similarly with the Electoral Act, when the Supreme Court in its wisdom progressively interpreted the electoral act and then the political actors still found a way to circumvent the Electoral Act.“So, immediately after the judgment was delivered, governors started looking for loopholes for how they could circumvent the new law which is granting the local government autonomy.”

Adeyanju also stressed the need for further reforms to ensure genuine autonomy for local governments.

He pointed out the problematic nature of local government elections being conducted by state governors, which allows them to manipulate outcomes and control local government funds.

Tinubu’s govt drags 36 govs to Supreme Court

In a related report, President Bola Tinubu-led federal government has dragged the 36 state governors of the federation to the Supreme Court.

Legit.ng reported that the FG instituted legal action against the governors over alleged misconduct in the administration of local government areas.

Source: Legit.ng