The Supreme Court has reserved its judgment on the suit filed by the Federal Government against state governors to secure full autonomy for the 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Nigeria. On Thursday, June 13, a seven-man panel led by Justice Garba Lawal approved the matter for judgment after the governors of the 36 states, through their Attorneys-General, adopted their briefs of argument.

The states, in their separate preliminary objections, sought the dismissal of the suit with substantial cost, arguing that the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, who initiated the action on behalf of the FG, lacked the locus standi (legal right) to do so. They also claimed that the AGF breached their rights to a fair hearing by failing to serve them with a copy of a further affidavit filed in support of the suit.

Some states argued that they already have democratically elected local government officials in place and insisted that the FG’s suit amounted to an abuse of the judicial process.

The FG, in its suit, prayed the Supreme Court to rule on full autonomy for all the LGAs in the country as the third tier of government. It sought an order prohibiting state governors from unilaterally, arbitrarily, and unlawfully dissolving democratically elected local government leaders. Additionally, the FG requested an order permitting funds standing in the credits of local governments to be directly channeled to them from the Federation Account, in line with the provisions of the Constitution, as opposed to the allegedly unlawful joint accounts created by governors.

After listening to both parties, the Justice Lawal-led panel announced that it would communicate the judgment date to them.