The President Bola Tinubu led Federal Government has taken all thirty-six state governors to the Supreme Court in a bid to secure autonomy for local governments in Nigeria.
The lawsuit was initiated on May 20th by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, on behalf of the federal government.
The government is seeking a court order to prevent state governors from unilaterally dissolving democratically elected local government leaders in an arbitrary and unlawful manner.
Furthermore, the federal government is requesting the Supreme Court to direct that funds allocated to local governments from the federation account be channeled directly to them, rather than being placed in joint accounts controlled by governors.
In addition, the government is asking for an injunction to prevent governors from appointing caretaker committees to oversee local government affairs, as this goes against the democratic system guaranteed by the constitution.
The federal government also seeks to restrain governors and their associates from accessing or misusing funds meant for local governments from the Federation Account in the absence of a democratically elected local government system in place.
Overall, the federal government is taking a stand to ensure that local governments in Nigeria have the autonomy and resources they need to effectively serve their communities.
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