The 36 state governors have been instructed to file their respective defences to a suit brought against them by the federal government seeking full autonomy for the country’s 774 local governments.
The order was issued by the Supreme Court on Thursday. The Supreme Court further ordered the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice to file a response within two days of receiving the governor’s defence.
Justice Garba Lawal gave the decision on Thursday while ruling on an appeal for abridgement of time filed by the AGF, Prince Lateef Fagebemi, SAN.
The AGF had requested that the court order the governors to file their responses within five days due to the urgency and importance of the challenge to local government authority.
Although the governors did not object to the time limit, they did request 15 days to file their defence.
Justice Lawal, who chaired a seven-member panel of Supreme Court justices, stated that the court’s decision to shorten the period was based on the national relevance and urgency of the suit, as well as the absence of objections from the states of the federation.
The Supreme Court ruled that all processes must be filed and exchanged within the time frame specified, and it later set June 13 as the date for the suit’s hearing.
Justice Lawal ordered that the eight states that were not present at Thursday’s hearings be served with a new hearing notice.
Borno, Kano, Kogi, Niger, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, and Sokoto are the eight states whose Attorneys General did not appear in court despite receiving a hearing notice.