The National Union of Local Government Employees, (NULGE), has cautioned state governors in Nigeria against attempts to derail autonomy of local governments in the country
NULGE National President, Comrade Hakeem Ambali, stated this while speaking on as a guest on Eagle 102.5 FM’s Ilese-Ijebu Current Affair Program, “Frontline”.
The NULGE President lamented the non- implementation of the Supreme Court judgement on financial autonomy for the 774 local governments in Nigeria, saying, ” it is an aberration to stall a Supreme Court ruling”.
“The Supreme Court is the court of finality. Judgment is not appealable unless it is reviewed by the Supreme Court itself. It is not because it is final in all decisions, but the constitution made them final”, he said.
Comrade Ambali added, “The President, as a political leader is also looking at the options to solve political problems that is when the bend- over came to play”.
” Unfortunately, that created room for manipulation, lobby and a lot of insinuations.However, the judgment of the Supreme court is meant to be obeyed. It is a judgment that stands”.
He frowned at the governors who according to him went back on the previous agreement with President, Bola Tinubu on LG financial autonomy, trying to use a subsidiary law to override the existing principal law of acting, saying their actions regardless of their immunity, contravenes Section 7 of the 1999 Constitution (Amended) that guarantees political leadership in the local government.
Condemning the Edo state local governments crisis, Comrade Ambali said ” it is illegal to tamper with democratically- elected Council men”, saying, no executive power will override the people’s representation.
“What is happening in Edo is ungodly and illegal. Because the Governor wanted to probe what is happening in the local government against the judgment of the Supreme Court, he decided to say the chairmen should proceed on illegal suspension”.
” Meanwhile, the affirmation of the Attorney General of the Federation has confirmed that no governor, in fact, no president in Nigeria, has power to dissolve, suspend or remove democratically-elected state political leadership”.
