LG Autonomy: Rivers council chairmen back FG’s suit against 36 states govs

LG Autonomy:

Rivers council chairmen back FG’s suit against 36 states govs

By Vivian Okejeme Abuja

Barrister Chidi Lloyd, Chairman of Emohua Local Government Area, and Barrister George Ariolu of Obiakpor Local Government Area, both in Rivers State, have thrown their weights behind the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), for filing a suit at the Supreme Court against the 36 States Governors.

Recall that the Apex court on Thursday, June 13, reserved judgment on the suit by the AGF, seeking full autonomy of local government administration in the country.

Speaking to newsmen in Abuja at the weekend, Barrister Ariolu hailed the AGF for instituting the case, describing it as a welcomed development, aimed at taming the over bearing influences of governors on LG chairmen.

“Most State governments have brazenly stolen funds meant for local government administration in the country.

“We are here to give support to the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice for what he has done by filing the suit at the Supreme Court.

“This is one of the renewed hope. The

learned Justices of the apex court having heard the arguments of the AGF, we believe, will do justice to the case.

“Of course, it was clear that most of the arguments of the Attorneys Genetal are contravention of section 7(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which says that a system of local government shall be run by democratically elected officials.

“So, this attitude of governors taking their local government chairmen at their whims and caprices has to stop. I am elected just as a governor, but some of them seize allocations meant for us; they dissolve local government councils at will, Ariolu said.

He subsisted that local government chairmen should not be at the beck and call of State Governors.

“If Mr President seizes their allocations fr rom the Federatiin account, they will make a mountain out of it. So, this has to stop, he said.

Ariolu expressed optimism that the Supreme Court will make a pronouncement having heard the case of the AGF, by doing the needful to local government councils from being at the beck and call of governors.

Similarly, Barrister Lloyd while commending the AGF for the suit, said time has come for full autonomy for local government system.

“Enough is enough in this country. Enough of this highhandedness from State Governors.

“Democracy should be practised from the grassroots and people at the grassroots should see the dividends of democracy.

“This is one of the renewed hopes President Bola Tinubu has brought to Nigerians and we are happy for he this suit.

Lloyd stated that if the AGF gets justice, it means there will be no more dilly-dallying, and going through the back door to tamper with funds meant for local government administration.

Specifically, the AGF is seeking full autonomy for Local Governments Areas as third tiers of government in the country.

By the suit marked SC/CV/343/2024, the Federal Government wants an order of the Supreme Court restraining Governors from constituting Caretaker Committees to run the affairs of local governments as against the constitutionally recognized and guaranteed democratically system.

The AGF is also praying the apex court to prohibit State Governors from “unilateral, arbitrary and unlawful” dissolution of democratically elected local government chairmen for local government administration.

More so, in the originating summons personally signed by the AGF, the FG among others, wants the Supreme Court to grant an order permitting the funds standing in the credits of local governments to be directly channelled to them from the Federation Account in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution as against the alleged unlawful joint accounts created by governors. END.