• Soludo, Otu take judgment in good faith
The Supreme Court judgment granting financial autonomy to local governments is a major victory for democracy, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, House of Representatives Speaker Tajudeen Abass, and Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fabgemi(SAN), have said.
While Akpabio and Abass congratulated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for initiating the process that led to judgment, Fagbemi said it is an emancipation of the local governments.
They added that the judgment represents a significant milestone in the country’s democratic journey.
The trio spoke with reporters after meeting with President Tinubu, along with some senior government officials in Abuja.
Akpabio said: “Recall that 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 governments, so for us in the legislature, the Supreme Court has spoken and we have no option than to abide by the Supreme Court judgment.’’
The Senate President called on the states ‘’to respect what the Supreme Court did ’’ while the National Assembly looks at how to ‘’dot the i’s and cross the t’s to ensure full implementation of the judgment. ‘’
He added: “This is a great day for democracy, and I congratulate the President for this initiative. I know that all Nigerians now know that local government administration is an arm of government meant for the grassroots and their money should be for the grassroots.
’’ Definitely, local governments can now undertake projects on their own. So it’s a great day for democracy and is the beginning of great things to come.”
Akpabio also praised the justices of the Supreme Court for the verdict and reiterated the parliament’s commitment to ensuring enforceability.
He said the issue of non-conduct of local government elections by some governors and called for elections that allow all political parties to participate.
House of Representatives Speaker Abbas expressed delight of over the judgment.
He described it as a historic moment, culminating from two years of efforts by the National Assembly to ensure local government independence through various constitutional amendments.
Abass said the victory is a victory for the legislature and the nation, paving the way for functional local governments that can serve their people without interference from state governors.
The Speaker expressed optimism that the judgment would enable local governments to extend goodwill to their constituents, unhindered by the excesses of state governors.
‘’The House of Representatives welcomes this significant milestone in Nigeria’s democratic journey,’’ he added.
Fagbemi expressed delight at the decision, which he believes will empower local governments to develop their areas.
He added that the judgment required states to conduct elections for local government areas, placing the onus on governors to comply.
Fagbemi stressed that the judgment was clear on the consequences for non-compliance.
Daniel congratulates Tinubu, Supreme Court
Ogun State former Governor Gbenga Daniel said that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has demonstrated uncommon courage and leadership in a manner that seeks to return Nigeria on a trajectory of growth.
Daniel, in his reaction to the judgment, said: “President Tinubu and the Supreme Court have restored sanity to the Nigerian political space as this will allow the dividends of democracy to reach the masses.’’
The former governor and Senator representing Ogun East in the Senate, added: “This constitutional resolution is long overdue because the local government administration is the closest to the grassroots and they should have the capacity to impact directly on the lives of the people through the initiation of life-changing programs and projects.
“As a democrat, and a Progressive one at that, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has demonstrated enormous capacity in the struggle towards strengthening Nigeria’s democracy, and with this local government financial autonomy, he has once again set to recalibrate the wheels of our political and Economic growth in a way that it will make clear meanings to the average citizens.
“I salute Mr. President for this global road map that will usher
Soludo, Otu take judgment in good faith
Anambra State Governor Charles Soludo said the Supreme Court judgment aligns with his administration’s commitment to democracy and the rule of law.
Soludo, whose administration has yet to conduct council polls since 2021 when it came into office, said it was imperative for resources to reach the grassroots in a manner that promotes accountability and transparency.
He spoke with reporters after meeting with President Tinubu in Abuja yesterday.
“The Supreme Court is supreme, it’s the final authority, and am a Democrat. I believe in the rule of law and once the Supreme Court has spoken, it has spoken.
‘At a fundamental level, we need resources to get down to the real grassroots and we need the people’s money to work for them at all levels, whether at the federal or the state and the local government.
“We need to promote accountability. We need to promote transparency in the utilisation of public resources at all levels, to be able to lift the burden off the common man.”
Acknowledging that the Anambra State Government has not held local government elections, the governor reassured of his commitment to fulfilling his promise to conduct one soon.
‘’When I was elected, that’s one of the things I promised our people because in Anambra, we haven’t had, to be honest with you, I think the first local government election we had was in 1998 or something thereabout, and then the next one was in 2014 or 2013. And that was it. I mean, finished one and a half years or two years thereabout, and even the institutions the place is quiet, not strengthened,’’ he said.
Soludo’s counterpart in Cross River State, Bassey Otu also expressed approval of the ruling, stating that it has been received in good faith.
He said: “Nigeria is a democratic country, and we know very well that President Tinubu and the renewed hope agenda is a democratic one. I believe that the judgment is taken in very good faith. All Nigerians should be happy about it.
“I don’t think anybody is against development in the local governments. I have not read the details of the judgment as passed, but when we do, I believe that the application of it should add some pep to our local government administration.”
Atiku: It’s victory for Nigerians
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has commended the Supreme Court’s verdict on financial autonomy for local governments.
Atiku described it as a victory for Nigeria and a major corrective action in greasing the wheels of national development.’’
“The judgment affirming fiscal autonomy to local government councils in the country is a win for the people of Nigeria,” he said in a statement on his X( formerly Twitter) account.
The statement reads: “The court’s ruling is a step in the right direction and a major corrective action in greasing the wheels of national development across the country.
‘’The decision by the Federal Government to consolidate disbursements of local councils’ revenues into the state government accounts was a decision that was borne out of politics of hasty compromise.
‘’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.”
But Atiku, who was the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate for last year’s general election, advised that the push for local government autonomy should not be limited to revenues.
He said: “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.
“Many of our states, especially those in the ultra-urban areas with high-density economic activities, have become notorious for 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.”
Verdict negates true federalism, says Ibori
Delta State former Governor James Ibori said that the verdict was an as assault on true federalism.
Although Ibori said he was opposed to state governors fiddling with local government allocations, he argued that that does not ‘’call for this death knell(judgment) to the clear provisions of section 162(3) of the 1999 Constitution.
‘’The Supreme Court has dealt a severe setback on the principle of federalism as defined by Section 162(3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
‘’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,” he wrote yesterday on his X (formerly Twitter) handle.
The former governor said Section 6 clarifies that ‘’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.’’
He added that the apex court decision could be seen as an erosion of state autonomy.
“The court’s ruling on the matter is an assault on true federalism. The federal government has no right to interfere with the administration of local governments in under any guise whatsoever. 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, ‘’ Ibori said.
He pointed out that the judgment ‘’appears to contradict the explicit provisions of Section 162 of the Constitution, shifts the balance of power between the federal government and states and may the financial independence of states and local governments.
Ibori added: “That local governments must be 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.
‘’If the ruling is saying governors cannot temper, touch, fiddle with the joint accounts, that’s fine because they shouldn’t be doing that in the first place. But asking the Federal Government to pay local government allocations to the account of the Local Government directly is utter madness.
“Like Justice Chukwudifu Oputa of blessed memory once said in describing the Supreme Court “We are not final because we are infallible, but we are infallible only because we are final.”
“It is my sincere hope that the judgment delivered today(yesterday) will be reviewed at the earliest time possible because it stands the concept of federalism on its head.”
