The Supreme Court, on Thursday, ordered the 36 state governors of the federation seven days to file their respective defence in the suit seeking full autonomy for the 774 Local Governments in the country filed against them by the Federal Government. Fagbemi, while arguing the application requested the court to order the defendants to file their defense within five days in view of the urgency of the matter. The AGF, on behalf of the federal government, instituted the court action against the governors primarily seeking full autonomy for local governments as third tiers of government in the country. In the suit marked SC/CV/343/2024, the AGF is praying to the Apex Court for an order prohibiting state governors from unilateral, arbitrary, and unlawful dissolution of democratically elected local government leaders. “That, by the provisions of the Constitution, there must be a democratically elected local government system and that the Constitution has not made provisions for any other systems of governance at the local government level other than democratically elected local government system.

Source: Nigerian Tribune May 30, 2024 16:18 UTC