Supreme Court Delays Decision in Landmark Federal Lawsuit Against State Governors.

Regarding the lawsuit the federal government brought against state governors to obtain complete autonomy for the nation's 774 Local Government Areas, the Supreme Court has postponed rendering a decision.

The governors of the 36 states of the Federation, through their Attorneys General, adopted their briefs of argument, and on Thursday, June 13, a seven-member panel of the court led by Justice Garba Lawal approved the matter for judgement. However, the states requested the dismissal of the lawsuit with significant costs in separate preliminary objections.

The states contended that Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, who started the lawsuit on behalf of the FG, lacked the locus standi, or legal authority, to do so.

The states also claimed that the AGF violated their right to a fair trial by neglecting to provide them with a copy of an additional affidavit he had submitted in support of the lawsuit.

Certain states contended that they currently have democratically elected LG officials in situ and that the FG suit constituted a misuse of the legal system.

As the third tier of government, FG had asked the Supreme Court to rule in favour of complete autonomy for each and every LGA in the nation.

The petition requested that the court make an injunction that forbade state governors from removing democratically elected local government leaders in a unilateral, arbitrary, or illegal manner.

In addition, the FG requested an order allowing the money in local governments' credits to be sent directly from the Federation Account to them in accordance with the Constitution's requirements rather than through allegedly illegal joint accounts established by governors.

The panel led by Justice Lawal stated that it would notify the parties of the judgment date after hearing from both of them.