The suit filed by the Federal Government, seeking the autonomy of local government councils in the country has been reserved for judgment by the Supreme Court.
A seven-member panel of the apex court, led by Justice Garba Lawal on Thursday announced after lawyers to parties adopted their written addresses as the arguments for and against the suit of the Federal Government.
The Federal Government sued the 36 states over how the governors run the local councils.
In the suit marked SC/CV/343/2024, the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) prayed to the apex court for an order prohibiting state governors from unilateral, arbitrary, and unlawful dissolution of democratically elected local government executives.
But, when the matter came up on Thursday, the AGF urged the panel to discountenance the preliminary objection of the states to the suit and grant the reliefs sought from the court, as all the states have complied with its orders,
However, the defendants argued otherwise and urged the panel to dismiss the suit for lacking merit.
In the originating summons, Fagbemi is praying the Supreme Court for an order permitting the funds standing in the credits of local governments to be directly channeled to them from the Federation Account in line with the provisions of the constitution as against unlawful joint accounts created by state governors.
He also sought an order from the apex court stopping governors from constituting caretaker committees to run the affairs of local governments as against the constitutionally recognized and guaranteed democratic system.
Also, 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 benefit of local governments when no democratically elected local government system is put in place in the states.
Recall that the apex court on May 30, ordered the 36 state governors to file their respective defense in the suit within seven days and fixed June 13 for hearing.
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