The pan-Yoruba socio-political association, Afenifere, and the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide have expressed differing views on the recent Supreme Court judgment that granted total financial autonomy to local governments in Nigeria.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court declared that it is unconstitutional for state governors to withhold funds allocated to local government administrations. The ruling emphasized that state governments do not have the authority to appoint caretaker committees, stating that local government councils must be democratically elected.
In response, Afenifere released a statement on Saturday, signed by the National Public Secretary, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, and Prince Justice Faloye, describing the Supreme Court’s judgment as a “judicial conspiracy.”
“Afenifere views the judgment of the Supreme Court in the case filed by the Federal Government on the so-called local government autonomy as sheer judicial conspiracy in cahoots with the Tinubu administration against the Nigerian state and its foundational principles of federalism,” the statement read. Afenifere criticized the judgment for undermining the two-tier federal structure of the central government and federating states, and for enabling the federal government to manipulate the federation account.
Conversely, the National Publicity Secretary of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Alex Ogbonnia, welcomed the judgment, stating it would enhance development across the country. Ogbonnia emphasized the importance of grassroots development but stressed the need for independent state electoral commissions to ensure the meaningful implementation of the Supreme Court’s ruling.
“So we are very much interested in grassroots development,” Ogbonnia stated. “However, for the Supreme Court judgment to have full meaning, it must be independent and the state’s independent electoral commission has to be reviewed. As long as the state government is in charge of the electoral body that conducts the election into local government councils, what the federal government is looking for will be unattainable.”
The contrasting views highlight the ongoing debate over the balance of power between federal and state governments and the mechanisms for ensuring effective local governance in Nigeria.
