The Federal Government will withhold local government allocations from Cross River, Enugu, Kano, Rivers, and 16 other states starting in July, in accordance with a Supreme Court judgment.
On Thursday, the apex court ruled in favor of a local government autonomy suit filed by Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, on behalf of the Nigerian Government.
The ruling prohibits the Federal Government from releasing allocations to local governments managed by unelected officials appointed by state governors.
Justice Emmanuel Agim, in his judgment, barred the Federal Government from continuing the practice of routing local government allocations through state governments, citing misuse by the governors.
He accused state governors of retaining and using the funds as they wished, to the detriment of local government councils.
As a result of the judgment, 20 states without elected local government chairmen will be barred from receiving allocations from July until they conduct elections.
These states include Jigawa, Rivers, Anambra, Imo, Kwara, Zamfara, Bauchi, Plateau, Abia, Enugu, Katsina, Kano, Sokoto, Yobe, Ondo, Osun, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, and Benue.
