Details Emerge Amidst Fresh Move by 36 Governors to Delay Implementation of LGA Autonomy

State governors have reportedly made a fresh move to delay the implementation of the Supreme Court judgment granting financial autonomy to local governments.

The governors reportedly pile pressure on top federal officials to soften the implementation.

Recall that the Supreme Court, in a landmark judgment on July 11, 2024, upheld the financial independence of the 774 local government councils in the country. It ruled that it was illegal and unconstitutional for governors to manage and withhold local government funds. The apex court then ordered that Accountant-General of the Federation should pay local government allocations directly to their accounts.

Following the judgment, the Federal Government inaugurated a 10-man inter-ministerial committee to enforce the judgment of the Apex Court. The committee, which is to be chaired by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation George Akume, consists of such high-calibre members as the Minister of Finance Wale Edun, the Attorney General of the Federation Lateef Fagbemi and the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria Olayemi Cardoso.

But state governors appear to be in rebellion against the Federal Government’s effort to enforce the judgment, as sources close to the Presidency said that there had been frantic lobby by the governors of the implementation to ensure it does not see the light of day.

Groups from civil society have come out to criticize the governors’ moves, as is shown by the statements from the Chairman of CACOL, Debo Adeniran, and the United Global Resolve for Peace. Adeniran said, “We know that they didn’t like what the President did by asking the Supreme Court to adjudicate on the matter. They are actually mounting pressure, not just lobbying, mounting pressure on all forces to ensure that the implementation of that order doesn’t come.”.

That lobby is uncalled for, it’s not necessary and the President must not pay heed to it. If the President insists, then they will not succeed because the rule of law must prevail; the Supreme Court has ruled, it’s just for them to enforce this and nothing must stand in the way of it, otherwise we would have put the rule of law in jeopardy and that’s not good for us.

Different reactions have trailed the development from local government officials and chairmen, some welcoming direct allocation while others are still sceptical.

According to the Chairman of Kwami Local Government Area of Gombe State, Dr Ahmed Wali, “We are hoping to get the allocation in October as plans are in the pipeline to open accounts for local governments with CBN.”

However, the newly inaugurated Chairman of Patigi Local Government Area of Kwara State, Mallam Adam Rufai, said the council was not aware of the said payment of the allocation.

“We don’t know yet because we were just elected into the council. We have no information on whether the allocation is going to be paid directly to the council by the Federal Government. No one has given us such information,” he said.

A top official in a local government council in the state revealed that following the Supreme Court’s judgment, all local governments in the state opened fresh commercial bank accounts with the view to receiving allocations. The source, however, expressed doubts over getting direct funding.

“We have gotten salaries for September, but I doubt if we have gotten direct allocation from the Federal Government yet,” the source said.