Ibrahim Oyewale in Lokoja

Senator Sunday Karimi representing Kogi West has disclosed  that President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly should not be held responsible for the slow or near-non implementation of the Supreme Court judgement granting local government financial autonomy.

Karimi who disclosed this while speaking in a chat with journalists in Lokoja yesterday noted the presidency and National Assembly are not culpable for the slow process of the local government autonomy .

He said President Tinubu’s vision leading to the favourable judgement of the supreme court is aimed to free the people from slavery and underdevelopment, which starts with financial autonomy for the third tier of government.

He urged Nigerians to continue to support the president in his effort to bring good governance close to the people at the grassroots.

“The provisions of Section 235 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, (As Amended) within Chapter 7, Part 1, deals with the finality of determinations by the supreme court.

“It states that no appeal can be made to any other body or person from a decision of the supreme court, except for the powers of the president or a state governor regarding the prerogative of mercy.

“In essence, this section establishes the supreme court as the final arbiter of legal disputes within the country, with its decisions being binding and unappealable.

“Without prejudice to the powers of the president or of the governor of a state with respect to prerogative of mercy, no appeal shall lie with any other body or person(s) to revalidate the already  determined matter or dispute by the supreme court”

Responding to question on why the senate has not deemed  it fit to give any legislative backing to the supreme court judgement of the 11th July, 2024 on local government autonomy, Senator Karimi  described the supreme court judgement granting full autonomy to the councils as the president’s trump card to legally and holistically address the local government challenges once and for all.

“That was why the Attorney General and  Minister of Justice of the Federation went to supreme court to institute that case”, he said.

He emphasized the importance of local government autonomy, stating that case instituted by the attorney general at the supreme court, and mid-wived by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, demonstrates the federal government’s commitment and support for a functional local government system in the country.

He further stressed that “As a means of solving local government problems, the president wants autonomy for local government. If the Federal Government of Nigeria doesn’t want local government autonomy, it wouldn’t have instituted the case in the first place.

“And for us in the National Assembly, we are fully in support of local government autonomy and the steps so far taken to restore proper governance at the local level in Nigeria.

“I don’t want to say much about it before when I came in. But we will talk about it. Local government autonomy must come to stay. It’s not for National Assembly alone but for the good of every Nigerian, therefore, it is a fight for all of us, because if we keep quiet, that autonomy will not stand.

“But if we talk, it will stand. I am not the one who brought this question in. Somebody brought it, but I have to speak to it. And I have to speak the truth always. Some people are not interested in this local government autonomy”.

Senator Karimi noted that the leadership of the National Assembly, including the Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker, House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, were in full support of the Local Government Autonomy.

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