Labour Party Seeks Executive Order On Council Funds

The Labour Party has called on President Bola Tinubu to immediately issue an Executive Order compelling full compliance with the Supreme Court judgment granting financial autonomy to local government councils across the country.

The call was made by the national vice chairman (Southwest) of the party, Dr. Arabambi Abayomi, in a statement issued to journalists in Abuja, where he expressed concern over what he described as the persistent subversion of local government autonomy by state governors.

“We have observed, with serious concern, the persistent and willful subversion of local government autonomy by state governors across the federation, in direct contempt of a landmark judgment by the Supreme Court of Nigeria,” Abayomi said.

He noted that while President Tinubu had previously acknowledged the need for an Executive Order to compel compliance with the judgment, such acknowledgment had not been matched with concrete action.

“We therefore call for immediate and decisive presidential intervention to end this debilitating practice,” he stated.

Abayomi said the Supreme Court judgment of July 11, 2024 clearly affirmed the constitutional requirement for direct allocation of funds from the federation account to local government councils, effectively ending the use of the State Joint Local Government Account.

“This judgment was a victory for democracy, development, and the Nigerian people at the grassroots,” he said, adding that it was “utterly distressing” that some governors, particularly those of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), were allegedly treating the ruling with disregard.

He argued that such actions not only undermine the authority of the Supreme Court but also disrespect President Tinubu, whom he described as a consistent advocate of local government autonomy.

The Labour Party chieftain cited the recent action of Ogun State Governor Prince Dapo Abiodun who presented vehicles to local government chairmen, describing it as an example of tokenism and financial opacity.

“This raises a critical question: If these chairmen are indeed receiving their full, constitutionally-mandated allocations, why would they depend on the governor for essential operational resources?” he asked.

According to him, such gestures reinforce the perception of local governments as subordinate entities dependent on state governors for basic administrative tools.