LG autonomy: APC Diaspora chieftain lauds Tinubu

Mr Ayoola Lawal, a former National Chairman of APC in the Scandinavian countries, says President Bola Tinubu has restored hope of Nigerians at the grassroots via Thursday’s court judgment granting financial autonomy to local governments.

Ayoola made this known in a statement on Friday.

He described the judgment as victory for Nigeria’s democracy.

It was reported that, in a landmark decision, the Supreme Court held that state governors could no longer withhold funds intended for local governments.

The apex court held that local government should receive their allocations directly from the federation account, ensuring their financial autonomy and operational independence.

The court also declared as unconstitutional, dissolution of democratically-elected local council chairman and appointment of caretaker committees by governors.

Lawal said the decision was a significant step toward strengthening provisions of the 1999 Constitution, which mandated a democratically-elected system at the local government level.

The former Secretary of the APC Committee of Diaspora Chairmen had, earlier this year, urged Nigerians to hold their state governors and local government chairmen accountable for non-performance of their constitutional roles rather than blame the Federal Government all the time.

He said the judgment upheld the principles of decentralisation and empowered local governments to effectively serve their communities without undue interference from state authorities.

“The judgment marked a pivotal moment in the nation’s democratic evolution,” Lawal said.