The Supreme Court yesterday gave the 36 state governors a seven-day ultimatum to file their respective defence in the suit seeking full autonomy for the 774 local government councils.
The apex court gave the order in the suit filed against the state executives by the Federal Government.
The seven-member panel of Justices of the apex court, led by Justice Garba Lawal ordered the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), who filed the suit on behalf of the Federal Government to upon receipt reply to the Defendants’ processes within two days.
The apex court gave the ruling while ruling in an application filed by the AGF, seeking abridgment of time in the filing and exchange of processes in the matter.
In the suit marked SC/CV/343/2024, the AGF is praying to the Apex Court for an order prohibiting state governors from the unilateral, arbitrary, and unlawful dissolution of democratically elected local government leaders.
At the proceedings, the Attorneys General of Borno, Kano, Kogi, Niger, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, and Sokoto states were absent in court and not represented by any lawyer despite being served with hearing notice.
Fagbemi requested the court to order the defendants to file their defence within five days given the urgency of the matter.
The chairman, body of Attorneys General of the states of the federation, Ben Odoh, who is also the Attorney General of Ebonyi State did not object to the request for abridgment of time but however, requested that they be given 15 days as against the five days proposed by the AGF.
Ruling, the panel said the decision of the court was predicated on the national importance, urgency of the suit, and the non-objection from the Attorneys General of the 36 states of the federation.
The Supreme Court held that filing of all processes and exchanging of same must be completed within the time and subsequently fixed June 13, 2024, for the hearing of the suit.
Justice Lawal ordered that the eight states that were not in attendance at yesterday’s proceedings must be served with fresh hearing notice against the next adjourned date.
He then adjourned the matter to June 13 for a hearing of the matter.
The AGF, on behalf of the federal government, had instituted the court action against the governors primarily seeking full autonomy for local governments as third tiers of government in the country.
