- The announcement was contained in a document notifying the respective lawyers of the parties involved in the suit of the said date.
The Supreme Court has announced a date for the delivery of judgment in the suit filed by the Federal Government against the 36 state governors on independence of the local government.
The apex court disclosed that it will deliver judgment on the suit seeking full autonomy for the 774 local governments in the country on Thursday, July 11.
The announcement was contained in a document notifying the respective lawyers of the parties involved in the suit of the said date.
The notice for the judgment delivery was served on the federal government through the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice at the Federal Ministry of Justice in Abuja.
Recall that Justice Garba Mohammed Lawal had on Thursday June 13 reserved judgment in the suit and announced that parties in the matter would be duly informed once the judgment is ready.
The reservation of judgment by Justice Lawal, who led a 7-man panel of Justices of the apex court, was sequel to the federal government and the governors presentation their cases for determination by the court.
The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, presented the case of the federal government, while the 36 state governors presented their own cases through their lawyers.
The AGF had prayed the Supreme Court to grant all the reliefs sought by the Federal Government in the suit and grant the local governments full autonomy as the third tiers of government in Nigeria and as envisaged by the constitution of the country.
The autonomy, he had argued, should involve direct allocation of funds from the federation account to the local governments instead of the present status where governors superintendent over the councils money.
The AGF had also prayed for an order prohibiting unlawful dissolution of local government officials by the state governors.
However, the governors through their respective Attorneys General opposed the request of the Federal Government and asked the court to dismiss the suit