Supreme Court Ruling On LG Autonomy ‘A Win For Nigerians’-Atiku…It’s An Assault On The Constitution-Ibori…Why We Instituted The Lawsuit-President Tinubu

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has described   the decisive decisions made by the Supreme Court in respect of local government administration in the country via its ruling on Thursday  as ‘a win for the people of Nigeria’ and a step in the right direction.

Atiku ,in a post on X, welcomed the Supreme Court ruling  and condemned what had been the situation before now  with respect to local government administration in the country.

‘I align with the decision of the Supreme Court that the structure of the Nigerian government is portioned in three layers, and of these, the local governments should be centres of development.

 I also share the belief that fiscal autonomy to the local governments should not be limited to revenues from the Federation Accounts, but indeed, should apply to Internally Generated Revenue from the respective local government authorities’  he wrote.

The former Vice President  also  said the local governments were not allowed to have ‘full authority’ over their funds.

‘Many of our states, especially those in the ultra-urban areas with high-density economic activities, have become notorious in muscling local councils from generating revenue on items that border on motor parks, outdoor advertising, rents and many more.

The verdict of the court is in tandem with the core functions of the Supreme Court as an arbitration court between and among governments’ he added.

 Team@orientactualmags.com learned that  Chief James Ibori, a former governor of Delta state, however has a different opinion on the matter ,  arguing  that the Supreme Court ruling in question  has actually dealt ‘a severe setback on the principles of federalism’.

 Chief James Ibori, who took to X to  give his take on the issue,    expressed his disagreement with the verdict, and he made reference  to constitutional provisions to  support his line of argument  that the decision has undermined the principles of federalism.

Citing Section 162 (3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), Ibori said, ‘The section expressly provides thus:

Any amount standing to the credit of the Federation Account shall be distributed among the Federal and State Governments and the Local Government Councils in each State on such terms and in such manner as may be prescribed by the National Assembly. Sections 6 provide further clarity on the subject matter.

(6) Each State shall maintain a special account to be called ‘State Joint Local Government Account’ into which shall be paid all allocations to the Local Government Councils of the State from the Federation Account and from the Government of the State’.

The Federal Government, Chief Ibori argued,  has no right to interfere in local government administration ‘under any guise’.

‘There are only two tiers of government in a federal system of government.

I’m opposed to fiddling with the allocations to the Joint LG Accounts at the state level but that in itself does not call for this death knell to the clear provisions of Section 162 of the constitution’ he added.

Chief Ibori noted that the ruling has far-reaching consequences for the federal-state power dynamic cognizant that it enables federal interference in local government finances and thereby centralises power, ‘contrary to the principles of federalism’.

The former Delta state governor  also stated the need to tread cautiously warning that  if the Federal Government is allowed to directly control local government funds, it may exploit this power to exert political pressure and manipulate local governments.

‘This decision could set a precedent for further federal interventions in areas traditionally reserved for state governance, potentially leading to a more centralized system of government over time.

That local governments must have leaders that are ‘democratically elected’ goes without saying. Yes, I agree, that’s the position of the constitution but withholding their allocation is not the way to go. It’s wrong.

In the coming days, we will begin to fully understand the implications of the Supreme Court decision. An assault on the constitution is not the answer to fiddling with the Joint LG Account’ he added.

President Bola Tinubu has however  lauded the Supreme Court’s ruling emphasizing its critical role in advancing effective governance at the grassroots level.

The president  has also emphasized  the importance of the judgment, describing it as a reaffirmation of the Constitution.

President  Tinubu in a statement issued by his  Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, noted that ineffective local government administration has been a significant obstacle to national progress, with governance at the grassroots level nearly nonexistent.

‘The Renewed Hope Agenda is about the people of this country, at all levels, irrespective of faith, tribe, gender, political affiliation, or any other artificial line they say exists between us.

This country belongs to all of us. By virtue of this judgment, our people – especially the poor – will be able to hold their local leaders to account for their actions and inactions. What is sent to local government accounts will be known, and services must now be provided without excuses’ President Tinubu said.

With the ruling that has cleared longtime obstacles delivered, the president noted that it is now left for the local government leaders to deliver people-oriented services and ensure that Nigerians at the grassroots feel the impact of governance.

‘My administration instituted this suit because of our unwavering belief that our people must have relief and today’s judgment will ensure that it will be only those local officials elected by the people that will control the resources of the people,

This judgment stands as a resounding affirmation that we can use legitimate means of redress to restructure our country and restructure our economy to make Nigeria a better place to live in and a fairer society for all of our people’ he added.

President Tinubu also lamented that the provision of essential amenities and public goods had been hampered due to the weakening of local governments while commending the Supreme Court for upholding the constitutional rights of local governments, especially financial autonomy.

Describing the  court ruling as historic and a significant step towards strengthening Nigeria’s federal structure for national development, Tinubu also commended the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), for his diligent and patriotic efforts -Team@orientactualmags.com  Do you have any information you wish to share with us? Do you want us to cover your event or programme? Kindly send SMS to 08059100286, 09094171980 or get in touch via orientactualmag@gmail.com.  Thank you