Following the verdict of the Supreme Court that was delivered on Thursday, 20 States risk having their local government allocations withheld by the Federal Government.
Recall that the Apex Court on Thursday delivered a judgment in the local government autonomy suit filed by the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, on behalf of the Nigerian Government, barring the Federal Government from releasing allocations to local governments governed by unelected officials appointed by the state governors.
In the judgment, Justice Emmanuel Agim, who delivered the lead judgement barred the Federal Government from further paying LG allocations through the state governments, noting that the practice had been abused by the governors, accusing the state governors of retaining allocations and utilising them as they please, to the detriment of the local government councils.
The states are Osun, Jigawa, Rivers, Anambra, Imo, Kwara, Zamfara, Bauchi, Plateau, Abia, Enugu, Katsina, Kano, Sokoto, Yobe, Ondo, Delta, Akwa-Ibom, Cross River, Benue.
However, Delta will hold local government elections on Saturday, July 13, 2024.
