Governors from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have expressed their approval of the Supreme Court’s recent decision supporting Local Government autonomy.
On July 11, the Supreme Court ruled that it is unconstitutional for state governors to withhold funds intended for Local Government administrations. The court also prohibited governors from dissolving democratically elected Local Government councils, citing such actions as a violation of the 1999 Constitution.
A week following this landmark judgement, PDP governors have accepted the ruling but called for caution in its implementation.
The PDP governors shared their stance in a communiqué issued after a meeting held at the Enugu State Government House on Wednesday, chaired by Governor Bala Mohammed.
The communiqué stated that the Forum “will continue to support the autonomy of Local Governments as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The governors emphasized their belief in the effectiveness of the local government system for bringing governance closer to the people, as outlined in the constitution. They affirmed their respect for the Supreme Court and commitment to complying with its orders.
“However,” the communiqué added, “the Forum urges that implementation of the court decision must be done in a manner that does not create a trust deficit between the federal and sub-national governments, while also ensuring that the system does not suffer.”
The PDP governors also addressed the organized labour’s demands for an increased national minimum wage, acknowledging that the call for a salary increment is “eminently justified” given the country’s worsening economic conditions.
They cautioned, however, that any agreement on the new minimum wage must be realistic and consider the financial capacities of all tiers of government.
“While the Forum fully supports labour’s demand, the agreement must take into consideration the ability to pay by the local, sub-national, and federal governments,” the communiqué reads.
“While negotiations are ongoing, we appeal for restraint in both utterances and actions that could lead to a complete breakdown of law and order and ultimately, the collapse of the economy.”
