The 36 governors of the Federation have dragged President Muhammadu Buhari to the Supreme Court over the Presidential Executive Order No. 00-10 of 2020 which he signed in May, 2020.
The states declared that the signed executive order had pushed the federal government’s responsibility of funding the capital and recurrent expenditures of the State High Courts, Sharia Court of Appeal and the Customary Court of Appeal, to the state governments.
According to the governors, the President had since 5th May 2009, abandoned his responsibility of funding the capital and recurrent expenditures of the respective courts, save for payments of salaries of judicial officers of the courts.
“Since the 5th of May 2009, the defendant had not funded the capital and recurrent expenditures of the State High Courts, Sharia Court of Appeal and the Customary Court of Appeal of the plaintiffs’ states, apart from paying only the salaries of the judicial officers of the said courts.
“The plaintiffs’ states have been solely responsible for funding the capital and recurrent expenditures of the State High Courts, Sharia Court of Appeal and the Customary Court of Appeal of the plaintiffs’ states, which the defendant has failed and/or refused to fund”, they alleged further.
In the suit, the governors are contending that the Executive Order was unconstitutional and asked the apex court to quash it.
The suit, which they filed through their respective attorneys-general, has the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), as the sole respondent.
