The Federal Government has instituted a legal action against the governors of the 36 states of the federation at the Supreme Court over alleged misconduct in the administration of Local Government Areas.
The suit filed on Sunday by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, is seeking full autonomy for all local government areas in the country.
The Federal Government told the apex court that the governors represent the component states of the federation with executive governors who have also sworn to uphold the constitution at all times.
It held that in the face of the clear provisions of the constitution, the governors have failed to put in place a democratically elected local government system even where no state of emergency has been declared to warrant the suspension of democratic institutions in the state.
In the suit, the Federal Government specifically prayed the court to issue an order, prohibiting state governors from embarking on unilateral, arbitrary and unlawful dissolution of democratically elected local government leaders.
It equally applied for an order of injunction restraining the governors, their agents and privies from receiving, spending or tampering with funds released from the federation account for the benefits of local governments, when no democratically elected local government system has been put in place in the states.
The Federal Government also prayed the Supreme Court for an order stopping governors from further constituting caretaker committees to run the affairs of local governments, as against the constitutionally recognized democratic system.
The governors of the 36 states were sued through their respective Attorneys General.
The Supreme Court has fixed May 30 for hearing.