The federal government has dragged the 36 state governors before the Supreme Court for strangulating local government.
The Governors were sued through their respective State Attorneys General in the suit marked SC/CV/343/2024.
The court action against the governors primarily sought full autonomy for local governments as third tiers of government in the country.
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi SAN on behalf of the federal government is praying the Apex Court for an order prohibiting State governors from unilateral, arbitrary and unlawful dissolution of democratically elected local government leaders for local governments.
The federal government also sought an order of the Apex Court stopping governors from constituting Caretaker Committees to run the affairs of local governments as against the Constitutionally recognised and guaranteed democratically system.
The federal government applied for an order of injunction restraining the governors, their agents and privies from receiving, spending or tampering with funds released from the Federation Account for the benefits of local governments when no democratically elected local government system is put in place in the states.
The 13-paragragh affidavit in support of the originating summons deposed to by one Kelechi Ohaeri from the Federal Ministry of Justice averred that the AGF took out the suit against the Governors under the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court on behalf of the Federal Government.
The deponent asserted that local government system recognised by the Constitution is a democratically elected local government coincils and that the amount due to local government Councils from the Federation Account is to be paid to local government system recognized by the Constitution.