The Federal Government has initiated a lawsuit against the governors of all 36 states, addressing issues related to the governance of Local Government Areas (LGAs). The case has been filed at the Supreme Court, seeking to secure full autonomy for LGAs, which are recognized as the third tier of government in Nigeria.
The Federal Government's petition requests the Supreme Court to prohibit state governors from dissolving democratically elected local government leaders unilaterally, a practice deemed unlawful and arbitrary.
Additionally, the Federal Government is pushing for an order that would allow funds allocated to local governments from the Federation Account to be directly transferred to them, in accordance with constitutional provisions.
Further, the lawsuit aims to prevent governors from forming caretaker committees to manage local government affairs, insisting instead on the constitutionally mandated democratic system.
The Federal Government is also seeking an injunction to stop governors and their representatives from handling funds designated for local governments when there is no democratically elected local government system in place.
The governors have been named in the lawsuit through their respective Attorneys General. The Supreme Court has scheduled the hearing for May 30.
