Lagos Washes Hands Off FG’s Lawsuit On LG Autonomy. Here’s The State’s Main Argument

• Lagos State doesn’t want to be included among states stifling local government administration.

• Hence, it is pushing back against its inclusion in a recent lawsuit targeting LG autonomy.

• The state says it is a model for how states should deal with local councils.

Eko Hot Blog reports that that the Lagos State Government has rejected its inclusion among states that the Federal Government (FG) is suing over local government (LG) autonomy.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu made the state’s position known on Monday while speaking at the Justice Reform Summit.

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Recall that the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), recently filed a suit at the Supreme Court.

The suit compelled governors of the 36 states of the federation to grant full autonomy to the local governments in their domains.

The Federal Government is urging the apex court to issue “an order prohibiting state governors from unilateral, arbitrary and unlawful dissolution of democratically elected local government leaders for local governments.”

It also prayed the Supreme Court to make an order expressly stating that funds standing to the credit of local governments from the Federation Account should be paid directly to the local governments rather than through the state governments.

Reacting to suit, the Lagos governor said his state is not guilty of the “gross misconduct and abuse of power” alleged in the lawsuit.

Sanwo-Olu, in a post on social media, said the AGF should have sued only non-compliant states instead of instituting a “blanket lawsuit”.

He noted that Lagos is fully compliant with local council autonomy and should serve as a model for other states.

“Speaking at the Justice Reform Summit, I took the opportunity to discuss the erroneous inclusion of Lagos in the Federal Government’s lawsuit against Governors over local government misconduct,” the governor wrote on social media regarding his address at the Justice Reform Summit.

“I emphasized at the summit, that the Attorney General should have identified non-compliant states instead of filing a blanket lawsuit. Lagos is fully compliant with local council autonomy, and we should serve as a model for other states.

“Infringement on local council autonomy violates the constitution. A clear judicial interpretation is needed to ensure equity and fairness. A robust justice system is essential for protecting interests and enhancing the efficiency of government entities.

“Lagos’ judiciary remains a beacon in protecting the rule of law and setting good examples for other jurisdictions. Our commitment to judicial reform is unwavering, and we continue to challenge the status quo to raise the standard of our justice system.

“I thank the Chief Justice of Nigeria for his kind words recognising Lagos as a forerunner in justice development. Our robust reforms have promoted economic growth and transparency. Together, the Bench and Bar must collaborate to strengthen our justice system.

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“Lagos sets the pace undoubtedly, and others follow.”

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