The Senate encountered issues regarding the enforceability of financial autonomy granted to the 774 local government councils by the Supreme Court in August 2024.
Senator Tony Nwoye (LP, Anambra North) raised concerns about some state governments allegedly attempting to bypass the ruling by passing counter laws through their respective state Houses of Assembly, on Wednesday.
Nwoye claimed that these states were mandating local governments to remit funds into the State/Local Government Joint Account, which the Supreme Court had ruled against.
However, after presenting the motion, Senator Adamu Aliero (PDP, Kebbi Central) argued that the matter should not be debated, citing Section 287 of the 1999 Constitution, which makes Supreme Court judgments enforceable nationwide.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio also noted that Section 162(6) of the Constitution, which created the State/Local Government Joint Account, would need to be amended for full implementation of the Supreme Court ruling. The session became chaotic, leading to an emergency closed-door meeting at 12:46 pm.
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