From Kayode Ayinla
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has denounced the lawsuit filed by the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) against the governors of all 36 states over alleged mishandling of local government administration, calling it a “legal anomaly.” Speaking at a two-day legal summit in Ikeja, Sanwo-Olu emphasized that local governments in Lagos State enjoy full autonomy and argued that the AGF, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), should have performed due diligence before joining all state governors in the suit.
The Federal Government, through the AGF, approached the Supreme Court with a suit (SC/CV/343/2024) to compel state governors to grant full autonomy to local governments. The suit demands an order prohibiting governors from unlawfully dissolving democratically elected local government leaders.
Sanwo-Olu highlighted the oversight in the AGF’s approach: “It is interesting to read the news that the Honourable Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation has sued all the 36 states because governors did not give autonomy to the third tier of government. The only mistake, which I am going to tell our Attorney General, is that some of us are in compliance. The Attorney General should have done his due diligence to identify which states are not in compliance so that we don’t sue all the 36 states together.”
Sanwo-Olu emphasized that lumping compliant states with non-compliant ones undermines the integrity of the legal process. He called for a more precise approach, targeting only those states that violate the constitutional provision for local government autonomy. This, he argued, would uphold the spirit of the Constitution and ensure equity and fairness in governance.
Furthermore, Sanwo-Olu stressed the importance of judicial reforms to enhance the administration of justice and uphold the rule of law. He praised the judiciary in Lagos for its exemplary role in protecting legal principles and setting standards for other jurisdictions.
The summit also featured remarks from notable legal figures, including the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kayode Ariwoola, represented by Justice Iyabode Yerima, who commended the Lagos judicial system for its leadership in justice development. The AGF, represented by Fernandez Marcos-Obiene, lauded Lagos’s judicial reforms for fostering economic growth and pledged continued federal support for initiatives that build public trust in the judiciary.
Other prominent speakers included the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Yakubu Maikyau (SAN), Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Lawal Pedro (SAN), and Chief Justice of Lagos, Justice Kazeem Alogba. They collectively underscored the necessity of ongoing judicial reforms to ensure a robust and fair legal system.
