The Anambra State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC has condemned the proposed amendments to “Anambra State Local Government Administration Law 2024,” currently before the State House of Assembly.
The APC described them as an administrative and legislative rascality and a desecration of the Apex Court Judgment.
In a statement signed by the Publicity Secretary of the Party, Dr. Valentine Iyke- Oliobi, ‘This executive bill, introduced by Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo’s government, is a blatant attempt to circumvent the landmark Supreme Court judgment granting total financial autonomy to local governments across Nigeria.
‘We view this bill as an affront to the rule of law and a direct assault on the autonomy of the 21 local government areas (LGAs) in Anambra State. The bill seeks to reverse the progress achieved by the Supreme Court ruling of July 11, 2024, in suit no: SC/343/2024. It clearly stated that all funds due to LGAs must be paid directly into their accounts, eliminating the State-Local Government Joint Account system.
‘This move by the Soludo-led administration is a dangerous attempt to return to the dark days of impunity and administrative rascality when local governments were deprived of their rightful funds. The bill proposes the reintroduction of a “State Joint Local Government Account” (Section 13), a mechanism declared illegal and unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. The court explicitly ruled that state governments have no right to control or manage funds allocated to local governments from the Federation Account.
‘Furthermore, Section 14 of the proposed law establishes a “Local Government Consolidated Account,” which compels LGAs to remit a percentage of their allocations to the state government, undermining their financial independence.
The Supreme Court, in its ruling, affirmed that states have no legal authority to tamper with funds meant for local governments, which are the third tier of government.
‘The most egregious aspect of this proposed law is the establishment of a “Local Government Joint Security Trust Account” (Section 16), which mandates LGAs to remit 20% of their monthly allocations within two working days of receipt. This provision is unconstitutional and violates the Supreme Court’s decision,” the APC said.
In his contribution to the judgment, Justice Moore Adumein warned that state governments’ continued chokehold on local government funds would suffocate and eventually lead to the extinction of LGAs in Nigeria.
‘The APC Anambra State Chapter calls on Governor Soludo and the Anambra State House of Assembly to respect the Supreme Court ruling and abandon any attempt to pass this bill.
“We urge the state government to prioritise the people’s interests over the narrow interests of a privileged few.
‘We also warn the Speaker of the Anambra House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Somtochukwu Udeze, to desist from further legislative rascality, employ wisdom in his legislative job, and obey the Supreme Court judgement so that posterity will judge him fairly.
‘The financial autonomy of local governments is critical to the development and progress of our rural communities, and any attempt to undermine this will be met with stiff resistance.
‘We stand with the people of Anambra State and pledge to continue to defend their rights as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.Thank you, and God bless Ndi Anambra and the Federal Republic of Nigeria,’ he concluded.
Confidence Okwuchi
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