Sowore: Supreme Court Judgment on LG Autonomy

In the wake of the Supreme Court's judgment granting autonomy to local governments, Omoyele Sowore, the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2023 election, has expressed his skepticism about its effectiveness. Sowore believes that as long as state governors maintain control over the electoral machinery of local governments, the judgment will have little impact. He argues that if governors continue to rig elections and place their own allies in power, the Supreme Court's ruling will remain ineffective.

Sowore took to his X account to voice his concerns, stating, "As long as Nigerian state governors control the State Electoral machinery, ruthlessly rig Local Government elections and install their minions (minimes) in the LGAs, the Supreme Court ruling would remain ineffective! And at any rate, any time @officialABAT is seen around control of funds, run, please run!"

Former Special Adviser to ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo, Doyin Okupe, also shares a different perspective on the Supreme Court ruling. Okupe believes that the ruling is wrong, asserting that local governments are not federating units of Nigeria. He argues that the ruling creates political confusion and goes against the understanding that local governments belong to the states and should not be under the purview of the federal government.

Okupe further emphasizes the need for President Bola Tinubu to work towards providing Nigeria with a new constitution in light of this constitutional dilemma. He believes that a new constitution, tailored to address the varied yearnings, interests, desires, unresolved conflicts, cultures, and sensitivities of the sub-nationalities within the Nigerian federation, is necessary.

The Supreme Court ruling has sparked divergent views among former presidential candidates and political figures. While some, like Sowore and Okupe, express skepticism and concerns about the ruling's effectiveness and constitutional implications, others see it as a positive step towards granting autonomy to local governments.

As the discussions surrounding local government autonomy continue, it remains to be seen how this ruling will impact the relationship between state governments and local governments in Nigeria.