In a significant development regarding local government (LG) autonomy in Nigeria, Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been hailed for his stance in allowing the judiciary a free hand to operate.
Addressing newsmen on Sunday in Abuja, Senator Sunday Karimi, representing Kogi West, stated that the battle for local government autonomy is far from over, anticipating resistance from some state governors.
the senator said the National Assembly will amend the constitution to address contentious issues including the conduct of local government elections.
Karimi emphasized the necessity for the National Assembly to amend the constitution to address contentious issues, including the conduct of local government elections.
The senator’s remarks followed a Supreme Court ruling on Thursday, which deemed it unconstitutional for state governors to withhold funds allocated for local government administrations. The court’s decision granted financial autonomy to local councils, a result of a lawsuit filed by the federal government.
Reacting to the judgement, the senator stated, “These include grey areas like the transfer of the responsibility of the conduct of elections to the local councils from the various state electoral bodies to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).”
“Some state governors will fight back. Tinubu allowed the judiciary a free hand to operate in this particular instance, irrespective of the fact that he is but a first term President who may desire a comeback in 2027.
“I thank Tinubu for mustering the courage to do the right thing. Since 1999, the third tier of government literally speaking, has been nonexistent. State governments treated them as appendages of the state governments. No President, has been able to change that.”
Senator Karimi lauded Tinubu for making history with the “landmark judgement” on financial autonomy for local government areas.
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