Nigeria’s Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, on Thursday, July 11, 2024, appealed to state governors to respect the Supreme Court’s judgement that granted autonomy to the 774 local government areas.
Akpabio’s comments came as the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, said the judgement holds possibilities for Nigeria’s future.
The Supreme Court had on Thursday declared that it is unconstitutional for state governors to hold funds allocated for local government administrations.
In the judgment delivered by Justice Emmanuel Agim, the seven-person panel declared that the 774 local government councils in the country should manage their funds themselves.
The apex court also held that the power of the government is portioned into three arms of government, the federal, the state and the local governments.
Speaking to State House correspondents after talks with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, the Senate President said, “the request was placed before the courts by the AGF because the Federal Government through President Bola Tinubu feels strongly about separation of powers and the need for autonomy of all arms of government.
“And so for us in the legislature, the Supreme Court has spoken and we have no option than to abide by the Supreme Court ruling.
“So, I will just call on all states of the federation to respect what the Supreme Court has done and then we will go back to the legislature and see where we can dot the i’s and cross the t’s to ensure the full implementation,” the Senate President remarked.
