AFENIFERE DISAGREES WITH SUPREME COURT VERDICT ON LOCAL GOVT AUTONOMY, SAYS IT’S SETBACK ON TRUE FEDERALISM

AFENIFERE DISAGREES WITH  SUPREME COURT VERDICT ON LOCAL GOVT AUTONOMY, SAYS IT’S SETBACK ON TRUE FEDERALISM

Afenifere, a Pan Yoruba Socio-Political Group, has criticized the Supreme Court judgement granting financial independence to local government areas, stating that it has dealt a severe setback to the principles of federalism.

The group’s leaders, Chief Ayo Adebanjo and Prince Justice Faloye, signed a statement saying the judgement has “done incalculable injury to the Nigerian state” and is a “judicial conspiracy” against the Nigerian state and its foundational principles of federalism.

According to Tribune newspaper, Afenifere views the judgement as a retrogressive declaration that recognizes local governments as a third tier of government, contrary to the constitution’s recognition of a two-tier federal structure. The group emphasizes that Nigeria is a federation consisting of states and a federal capital territory, as affirmed by Section 2 (2) of the 1999 Constitution.

The group condemns the subjugation of states and their constitutional roles, including the local government system, to the federal government’s whims. They argue that the 1999 constitution provides for the payment of allocations to local government councils through the state joint local government account, not directly to local governments.Afenifere insists that the way forward for Nigeria is holistic restructuring to re-enact the fundamental principles of true federalism, recognizing the local government system as an exclusive preserve of the states. They quote Section 162 of the Constitution, emphasizing that the Supreme Court’s interpretation has done incalculable injury to the Nigerian state.