JUST IN: Local Govt Autonomy: Supreme Court Gives Governors 7 Days
The Supreme Court has directed all 36 state governors to submit their defenses in response to a suit brought against them by the Federal Government, which seeks full autonomy for the 774 local governments in Nigeria.
In addition, the apex court mandated the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice to file a reply within two days upon receiving the governors’ defenses.
The order was issued by Justice Garba Lawal on Thursday during the hearing of an application for an expedited timeline, presented by the AGF, Prince Lateef Fagebemi, SAN.
The AGF had requested the court to compel the Governors to file their responses within five days due to the urgency and significance of the local government autonomy suit. While the Governors did not oppose the expedited timeline, they asked for 15 days to file their defenses.
Justice Lawal, leading a seven-member panel of apex court justices, emphasized the national importance and urgency of the suit and noted the lack of objection from the states. Consequently, the court reduced the filing time.
All processes must be filed and exchanged within the designated timeframe, with the hearing scheduled for June 13.
Furthermore, Justice Lawal directed that fresh hearing notices be served to the eight states—Borno, Kano, Kogi, Niger, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, and Sokoto—whose Attorneys General were absent from Thursday’s proceedings despite being served with notices.
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