The presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar has described the Supreme Court’s judgment affirming fiscal autonomy for local government councils as a win for Nigerians.
Atiku stated this in a post released via his X handle on Thursday, adding that the ruling is a step in the right direction.
The former Vice President said, “I align with the decision of the Supreme Court that the structure of the Nigerian government is portioned in three layers, and of these, the local governments should be centres of development.”
He advocated for an expansion of fiscal autonomy beyond Federation Account allocations.
“I also share the belief that fiscal autonomy to the local governments should not be limited to revenues from the Federation Accounts, but indeed, should apply to Internally Generated Revenue from the respective local government authorities,” he stated.
Atiku highlighted concerns about state governments, particularly in urban areas, interfering with local councils’ revenue generation.
He stated, “Many of our states, especially those in the ultra-urban areas with high-density economic activities, have become notorious in muscling local councils from generating revenue on items that border on motor parks, outdoor advertising, rents and many more.”
Atiku further praised the Supreme Court’s role, saying, “The verdict of the court is in tandem with the core functions of the Supreme Court as an arbitration court between and among governments.”
Recall that the Supreme Court on Thuursday declared that it is unconstitutional for state governors to hold funds allocated for local government administrations.
The seven-man panel, in the judgment delivered by Justice Emmanuel Agim, declared that the 774 local government councils in the country should manage their funds themselves.
The apex court held that the power of the government is portioned into three arms of government, the federal, the state and the local government.
The court further declared that a state government has no power to appoint a caretaker committee and a local government council is only recognisable with a democratically elected government.
