Sanwo-Olu Advises AGF On LG
Funds Suit.
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has
described the joint suit instituted against the 36 state Governors over alleged
misconduct in the administration of local governments as ‘a legal anomaly’.
Sanwo-Olu, who disclosed this at the two-day
legal summit held in Ikeja, the state capital, said, local Governments in Lagos
State enjoy full autonomy, and the Federal Government has approached the
Supreme Court with a suit seeking to compel Governors of the 36 states of the
federation to grant full autonomy to the local Governments in their domains.
The suit was filed by
the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi
(SAN), on behalf of the Federal Government urging the apex court to issue an
order prohibiting state Governors from unilateral, arbitrary and unlawful
dissolution of democratically elected local government leaders for local Governments.
Reacting to the suit, the Lagos state Governor
said, the AGF should have conducted due diligence to ascertain the erring state
Governors rather than join the 36 Governors in the suit.
Sanwo-Olu said, an infringement on the local
council autonomy was an affront to the spirit of the constitution on which the
judiciary must make a clear interpretation for equity and fairness, adding
that, a better justice system would protect the interests of parties and
discourage actions limiting the efficiency of any Government entity.
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