The Senate is facing internal disagreements over the Supreme Court’s ruling on financial autonomy for Nigeria’s 774 local governments.
On Wednesday, the session became tense after Senator Tony Nwoye, representing Anambra North, raised concerns about state governments allegedly trying to sidestep the Supreme Court decision through new legislation from their State Assemblies.
Nwoye’s motion, supported by nine other Senators, revealed that there are efforts by some state governors to enforce laws requiring local councils to deposit funds into joint state accounts, which the Supreme Court had banned.
After presenting his six-point motion for action, Senator Osita Izunaso seconded it.
However, Senator Adamu Aliero of Kebbi Central immediately objected, referencing the Constitution and urging the Senate not to debate an issue already settled by the Supreme Court.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio concurred, pointing out the need for constitutional amendments to enable the full execution of the ruling on local government autonomy.
The discussion was cut short when other Senators raised procedural orders simultaneously, leading to confusion.
This resulted in an emergency closed-door session as the Senate struggled to navigate the constitutional complexities surrounding the ruling.
Earlier in August, the Supreme Court ruled that funds for local governments must be directly disbursed to them, condemning the long-standing practice of governors controlling these allocations as unconstitutional.
