The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), has issued a stern warning to governors who refuse to grant autonomy to local governments in their states, stating that they could face treason charges and serious consequences.
Fagbemi made this statement during the opening of a national discourse titled “Strengthening Local Government Autonomy in Nigeria: A Dialogue on the Impact and Implementation of the Supreme Court Judgement,” organized by the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) on Wednesday in Abuja. He was represented by Tijani Gazali (SAN), the Director of Civil Appeals at the Federal Ministry of Justice.
He emphasized that the actions of the 36 state governors prompted the President Bola Tinubu administration to approach the Supreme Court for a constitutional interpretation, which resulted in the federal government being granted all its requested reliefs.
“Despite the Supreme Court ruling that banned the unlawful removal of democratically elected local government chairmen by state governors, it is unfortunate that a few states are still violating this ruling,” Fagbemi said. “Let me make it clear: this act is tantamount to treason and should be treated accordingly.”
Fagbemi also acknowledged that while Section 308 of the Constitution grants immunity to state governors, their actions would still lead to “unpleasant consequences.”
He reaffirmed that the Supreme Court’s decision had reinforced the importance of local governments in a democracy, as outlined in Section 1(2) of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution.
He also mentioned that the federal government had formed a 10-member committee, including representatives from the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), to create implementation guidelines.
In his opening remarks, NBA President Mazi Afam Osigwe (SAN) referred to the ongoing violence in Osun State related to local government autonomy, questioning why state governments were fighting for control over local governments.
He stressed the importance of ensuring democracy at the local government level, warning that failure to do so could lead to serious consequences.
“If we fail to get it right at the local government level, we may be setting the stage for calamity,” he added.
