The Supreme Court has reserved its judgment on the suit the Federal Government filed against state governors to secure full autonomy for the 774 Local Government Areas in the country.
On Thursday, June 13, a seven-man panel of the court, led by Justice Garba Lawal okayed the matter for judgment, after governors of the 36 states of the Federation, through their Attorney-Generals, adopted their briefs of argument but the states, in separate preliminary objections, sought the dismissal of the suit with substantial cost.
The states argued that the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, who initiated the action on behalf of FG, lacked the locus standi (legal right) to do so.
The states further alleged that the AGF breached their rights to a fair hearing when he failed to serve them with a copy of a further affidavit he filed in support of the suit.
Some of the states argued that they already have democratically elected LG officials in…
Source: Linda Ikeji
