Implications of Supreme Court ruling on LGA autonomy
The Supreme Court of Nigeria, on Thursday, ruled that henceforth, funds for the 774 local governments should be sent to them directly from the federation account and not through the State governors.
The apex court’s ruling bars governors from dissolving democratically elected Local Government (LG) councils in the country.
In the suit filed by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), the Federal Government sought an order preventing the governors from arbitrarily dissolving democratically elected councils. The suit by the AGF was on 27 grounds.
This landmark judgment has the following immediate implications:
1. The various state governments will now have less funds to play with.
2. Governors will become desperate to shore up their internally generated revenue, which may result in more taxes.
3. The Joint Account Committees at the States, which are at the whims of the state governors, have been rendered unconstitutional.
4. Different communities will now be encouraged to ask LG officials for accountability.
5. The National Assembly needs to take urgent steps to amend specific provisions (like the Exclusive and Concurrent lists) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to align with the Supreme Court judgment.
6. The era of transition/caretaker committees is gone. Governors are mandatorily compelled to conduct local government elections.
7. No governor shall have the nerve again to dissolve elected LG officials.
8. Democracy at the grassroots will be deepened as many qualified people will be encouraged to contest chairmanship and councillor positions.
9. Pressure and vicious contestations in the federal and state political space will most likely be reduced.
10. Political parties who don’t have the financial and administrative muscles to compete at the national level can make a mark at the local government levels.
