- After a three-day meeting, the organization’s members concluded that the judgement is incomplete and requires further examination.
- The organization reassures peace-loving Nigerians to remain calm and law-abiding, as they will be monitoring all actions taken by governors in their respective states.
The United Nigerians Against Crime (UNAC) says
granting local government chairmen financial autonomy without political autonomy is unrealistic.
Dr Abdullahi Y. Bayawo, director general of UNAC, said this a statement on Wednesday made available to WITHIN NIGERIA.
Recall the Supreme Court declared on Thursday that it is unconstitutional for state governors to hold funds allocated for local government administrations.
The seven-man panel, in the judgment delivered by Justice Emmanuel Agim, declared that the 774 local government councils in the country should manage their funds themselves.
The apex court held that the power of the government is portioned into three arms of government, the federal, the state and the local government.
The court further declared that a state government has no power to appoint a caretaker committee and a local government council is only recognisable with a democratically elected government.
The court stated that it is the local government that should receive and manage funds meant for local government.
Reacting on Wednesday, Bayawo noted that the governors’ control over the appointment of state electoral commissioners, who oversee local government area elections, compromises the integrity of financial autonomy.
This, he argued, renders the financial autonomy granted to local governments ineffective.
UNAC urged the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice to seek an urgent interpretation of the judgement at the Supreme Court to ensure that the judgement is comprehensive and practical.
The organization also called on the National Assembly to make laws that will empower the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct elections for the 774 local government areas in Nigeria.
“We will not tolerate any governor who attempts to undermine this judgement,” warned Dr. Bayawo.
“Members of UNAC will take decisive action against any governor who fails to respect the people’s right to local government autonomy.”
The organization, UNAC, reassured Nigerians to remain calm and law-abiding, while urging those in authority to take immediate action to rectify the anomaly, and believes that true democracy can only be achieved through devolution of power and accountability.