The Ondo State Government has requested the Supreme Court to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, on behalf of the Federal Government.
The suit, seeking full autonomy for Nigeria’s 774 local governments, has been criticized by the state government as interference in state and local matters.
In a preliminary objection filed on June 6, which was released to newsmen on Friday, Ondo State’s Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Olukayode Ajulo SAN, described the Federal Government as “a meddlesome interloper” and argued that it has no right to interfere in the affairs of states and local governments.
The objection emphasized that the Federal Government lacks any affected interest, making it an inappropriate party to the suit
Ajulo contended that the Attorney General of the Federation cannot unilaterally “rewrite the Nigerian Constitution” by asking the Supreme Court to take on the suit, which he claimed violates Section 232 of the 1999 Constitution, Section 1 of the Supreme Court Act 3, 2002, and Order 3, Rule 6 of the Apex Court.
The Federal Government has accused all 36 state governments of mishandling local government funds and affairs, demanding the Supreme Court grant full autonomy to local governments and direct their funds from the Federation Account straight to them.