Kwara State Governor and Chairman of Nigeria’s Governors’ Forum (NGF), AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, announced that the 36 state governors will meet on Wednesday to discuss local government autonomy following the recent Supreme Court judgement.
AbdulRazaq described the ruling as a positive development and emphasized that the governors are happy with the devolution of powers.
In a statement, AbdulRazaq noted, “We welcome the ruling of the Supreme Court; compliance is a given. Our attorneys-general have applied for the enrollment order which we will study carefully. People really don’t know how much states expend in bailing out local governments. It’s not going to affect the states; we’ve not tampered with local government funds.”
He also highlighted the responsibilities placed on local governments, especially with the upcoming minimum wage.
“They have to manage their affairs and make sure salaries are paid and traditional rulers get their five percent. Those are the main issues,” he added.
Lagos-based lawyer Ugwuzor Adindu expressed skepticism about the impact of scrapping state electoral bodies, stating that both INEC and SIECs work for their appointing authorities. “If INEC is allowed to conduct all elections in the country, it negates the principle of federalism as contained in the present constitution,” Adindu argued.
Human rights lawyer Liborous Oshoma praised the Supreme Court judgement but stressed the need for constitutional amendments to ensure independent local government elections. “Until Section 197 of the Constitution is amended, the country would just be dancing around the issues,” Oshoma stated.
Former President of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), Malachy Ugwumadu, emphasized the importance of the integrity of law implementers and called for leveraging the judgement to enhance accountability through civil society campaigns.
