The Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr. Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, has condemned the ongoing illegal removal of democratically elected Local Government (LG) officials by state governors, despite a Supreme Court ruling declaring the practice unconstitutional.
In his address at a State of the Nation discourse on strengthening local government autonomy in Nigeria, organized by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Fagbemi warned that continued disobedience to the Supreme Court’s decision could lead to severe consequences for any state involved.
“I must state clearly that this action is tantamount to treason and should be treated as such,” Fagbemi asserted.
He expressed concern over the collaboration between state governors and their state assemblies to dismantle elected local government structures, replacing them with appointed officials.
Although Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution grants governors immunity from prosecution, Fagbemi emphasized that the Federal Government would not condone the flagrant disregard for the Supreme Court’s ruling.
“The consequences of this defiance of the Supreme Court judgment will be detrimental to the state as a whole, should it persist,” he warned.
Fagbemi noted that local government structures were nearly abolished until his office took the issue to the Supreme Court, leading to a ruling that reaffirmed the autonomy of local councils.
Regarding the delay in the direct disbursement of funds to Local Government Areas (LGAs), as ordered by the Supreme Court, the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) Director of Legal Services, Mr. Salam-Alade, explained that the bank previously had no relationship with local governments.
He disclosed that CBN had initiated a Know Your Customer (KYC) process to profile individuals who would serve as signatories for local government accounts.
“All ALGON needs to do is encourage its members to approach the CBN in their locality. The issue will be resolved within 48 hours,” Salam-Alade assured.
He urged all 774 local governments to submit their documentation to facilitate the activation of their accounts. However, Mr. Sam Akala, a representative of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), disputed the CBN’s claim, stating that the association had not received formal communication about the account-opening process.
“I cannot confirm that such communication has been received officially,” Akala said, while reaffirming ALGON’s commitment to supporting grassroots development.
In his welcome address, NBA President, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, stressed the importance of safeguarding local government autonomy, warning that failure to empower LGAs could lead to greater instability.
“There must be democracy at the local government level. If we fail to get it right there, we may be setting the stage for a greater calamity,” Osigwe cautioned.
The discourse, which featured retired Supreme Court Justice Ejembi Eko as the guest speaker, was attended by state attorneys-general, government officials, and senior legal practitioners, all calling for concrete reforms to ensure the independence of local governments across Nigeria.
