Dr. Doyin Okupe, the former Director-General of the Labour Party (LP) Presidential Campaign Council, has criticized the Federal Government’s legal actions against states concerning local government autonomy. In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos, Okupe, who also served as a Presidential spokesperson, expressed his disapproval.
He referred to the Federal Government’s lawsuit against the states for local government autonomy as both unnecessary and unfortunate. Okupe, who was also the National Publicity Secretary of the now-defunct National Republican Convention (NRC), emphasized that a true federal system only involves two primary components: the federal and state governments.
According to Okupe, a genuine federal system should consist of the Federal Government and sub-national entities, with local governments being entirely a state matter. He argued that local governments should not be a concern of the federal government and that the idea of local governments as a third tier should be removed from the constitution.
Okupe suggested that the nation’s resources should be allocated between the Federal Government and the states. He labeled the Federal Government’s demand for local government autonomy as a deviation from a proper federal system. He expressed concern over the lack of clarity about what is right and wrong in the country’s governance.
Okupe proposed that state governments should have the freedom to establish as many local governments as they see fit for grassroots development, funding them according to their own decisions. This, he believes, would be more aligned with true federalism.
The context for Okupe’s comments is the Federal Government’s recent legal action against the governors of all 36 states. The government is seeking full autonomy for local governments, accusing the states of interfering with local council administration. The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, filed a suit at the Supreme Court requesting an order to stop governors from dissolving democratically elected local government officials unilaterally.
The Federal Government’s suit seeks an order for local government funds to be directly allocated from the federation account, bypassing the allegedly unlawful joint accounts set up by governors. It also requests the Supreme Court to prevent governors from forming caretaker committees to manage local government affairs, insisting on a constitutionally recognized democratic system for local governance.
By challenging the state governors, the Federal Government aims to ensure that local governments operate with full autonomy, free from state interference. This legal battle highlights ongoing debates about the balance of power and the true nature of federalism in Nigeria.
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