The Supreme Court on Friday threw out a suit filed by the Osun State Attorney-General seeking to block the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) from disbursing withheld local government funds to council chairmen not recognised by the state government.
In a majority decision of six justices against one, the apex court ruled that the Osun Attorney-General lacked the legal standing to file the suit.
Delivering the lead judgment, Justice Mohammed Baba Idris held that the state’s chief law officer had no jurisdiction to sue on behalf of the 30 local government councils.
According to the court, the Attorney-General of Osun cannot assume the powers or rights of the local governments themselves, making the suit incompetent from inception.
READ ALSO: Osun LG Funds Remain Frozen as Court Extends Freeze
However, in a lone dissenting judgment, Justice Emmanuel Agim faulted the majority position. He argued that the Osun Attorney-General possessed the right to challenge the Federal Government’s decision, warning that withholding statutory allocations from the councils could cripple grassroots administration.
Justice Agim described the Federal Government’s actions as improper and detrimental to the functioning of local governments.
The ruling marks another turning point in the ongoing dispute over control, autonomy, and financial flow within Nigeria’s local government system.