Politics of Local Government Autonomy in Nigeria: An Examination of Supreme Court Judgement, State Governments’ Reactions and Challenges of Enforcement
Abstract
On July 11, 2024, the Supreme Court of Nigeria, in a suit between the Attorney-General of the Federation (plaintiff) and the Attorneys-General of the 36 states of the federation (defendants), delivered a landmark judgement affirming the financial autonomy of local governments. The Court’s decision reaffirmed the three-tier structure of Nigeria’s federal system, and underscored the relative independence of local government as the third tier of government. This paper observes that, more than 20 months after the judgement, apart from the hasty charades as local government elections stage-managed by the state Governors, the status quo has not changed. In the light of Section 287 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the paper argues that the federal government’s reluctance to enforce the judgement largely explains the various decoys and mechanisms deployed by the state governments and Governors to undermine its implementation. These actions are situated within the broader political dynamics of the 2027 General Elections, where compliance with the ruling has become a bargaining tool in the build-up to the elections. The paper concludes that in the face of the stick and carrot that characterize such dynamics, the enforcement of the judgement may not occur, except in two extreme scenarios: (i) if the 2027 presidential election results are unfavourable to the ruling party at the centre, or (ii) if an opposition political party wins the election.
Keywords
Politics of local government autonomySupreme Court judgementState governments’ reactions2027 General ElectionsSection 287 of the 1999 ConstitutionEnforcement challenges
References
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