Senate Backs Supreme Court Ruling On Local Government Financial Autonomy. The Senate has voiced its strong backing for the Supreme Court’s ruling on August 11, 2024, which granted financial autonomy to the 774 Local Government Councils across Nigeria.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

During a plenary session on Wednesday, the Senate called on all levels of government to adhere to the ruling and resolved to work with the House of Representatives to amend certain sections of the 1999 Constitution to ensure effective implementation.

These resolutions came in response to motions introduced by the Deputy President of the Senate, Jibrin Barau, and supported by Senators Abdul Ningi and Tahir Monguno.

Barau stated, “I am moving on behalf of the Senate to approve two requests related to the motion put forth by Senator Tony Nwoye (Anambra North), thereby dismissing the previous requests made by the mover.

The two requests are as follows: All states and local governments must fully comply with the recent Supreme Court ruling concerning the distribution and use of funds allocated to local governments across Nigeria.

The Senate will also ensure that amendments are made to the relevant provisions of the Constitution to guarantee the complete autonomy of local governments in Nigeria.”

However, the Senate’s resolutions were made two hours after challenges arose regarding the enforcement of the Supreme Court ruling at the state and local government levels.

At the start of the session, Senator Tony Nwoye (LP, Anambra North) invoked Senate Standing Orders 41 and 51 to raise a motion regarding alleged attempts by certain state governments to bypass the ruling by enacting counter-laws through their respective State Houses of Assembly.

Nwoye, who indicated that nine other senators co-sponsored the motion, specifically alleged that some state governors were introducing laws requiring local government councils in their states to deposit funds into the State/Local Government Joint Account, which the Supreme Court had deemed unlawful.

Following Nwoye’s presentation, which included six requests for enforcing the ruling and was supported by Senator Osita Izunaso (APC, Imo West), Senator Adamu Aliero (PDP, Kebbi Central) raised a constitutional point of order to halt the debate on the motion.

Aliero referenced Section 287 of the 1999 Constitution, which mandates that Supreme Court rulings are enforceable across the nation, urging the Senate not to overcomplicate the issue.

He stated, “Supreme Court rulings are enforceable nationwide. There is no need for us to discuss this further.”

Senate President Godswill Akpabio concurred with Aliero and pointed out Section 162, Subsection 6 of the 1999 Constitution, which established the State/Local Government Joint Account, emphasizing the need for an amendment to enable full compliance with the Supreme Court ruling.

Before a final decision could be reached, Senator Nwoye invoked Order 42 of the Senate Standing Rules for a personal clarification, while Senator Abdulrahman Kawu Sumaila (NNPP, Kano South) raised a similar point of order.

These concurrent motions led to confusion, prompting several senators to consult with the Senate President, resulting in an emergency closed-door session at 12:46 p.m.

The emergency session, lasting nearly two hours, concluded with the approval of two separate motions proposed by the Deputy President of the Senate.