Legislators Urge Governors to Comply with Supreme Court Ruling on Local Government Autonomy
Godswill Akpabio, Senate President, and Tajudeen Abbas, Speaker of the National Assembly, have called on governors to comply with the Supreme Court ruling and vowed to ensure full implementation of local government autonomy.
The Supreme Court has barred the 36 governors of the federation from retaining or utilizing funds meant for the 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the country.
The apex court ruled that it is illegal and unconstitutional for governors to continue receiving and seizing funds allocated to LGAs in their states.
Senate President Akpabio hailed the judgment and emphasized that the Senate will ensure full implementation of local government autonomy.
“For us in the legislature, the Supreme Court has spoken, and we have no choice but to abide by the ruling. So, I call on all states of the federation to respect what the Supreme Court has done while we return to the legislature to ensure full implementation,” he stated.
Meanwhile, Speaker of the National Assembly Tajudeen Abbas expressed excitement about the ruling. He described the issue as one that has been with legislators for about twenty years.
“The members are very happy. They are very happy because history has been made. This is an issue that has been before the parliament for the past 20 years. All the constitutional amendments carried out by the National Assembly always included local government autonomy.”
Abbas further highlighted the significance of the ruling, stating, “How do we make the local governments work independently? The possibility became a reality with this ruling.”
