John Alechenu

The Action Democratic Congress (ADC), has hailed the Supreme Court judgement granting financial autonomy to Local Government Councils describing it as a victory for democracy.

National Chairman of the party, Ralphs Okey Nwosu, said this in Abuja, on Friday.

He explained that the Supreme Court ruling affirming Local Government Financial Autonomy is an unprecedented political victory for the judiciary and a clear manifestation of how each arm of government can drive development by taking principled and patriotic positions for the interest of Nigeria.

Nwosu said, “It is a great outcome for our democracy and catalyst for national development.

“My party, the ADC has continued to advocate for the active participation of the local government Area councils in running our affairs as the council is the authentic grassroot leadership any nation needs to make organic progress.

“Total Local government autonomy, financial and otherwise are critical for grassroots development.

“I congratulate Mr President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the bold step not minding his past and the antics of state governors and some of the legislators.

“The main kudos and compliments goes to the men and women who sat in the Supreme Court today to affirm that ‘all the local government councils across the country should, from Thursday, receive their allocations directly from the Accountant-General of the Federation”.

He further said, “The judiciary has by this singular ruling breathed life into our local governments and vitality to all communities and persons in this country.

“They have also put the shameful actions of all the governors who have served for the last 21 years to an end.

“The governors, all of them without exception, have acted as octopuses strangulating local government and our communities’ development and in many ways debasing our democracy.

“By the time we have free local governments with five to 10 billion naira distributed to each of the 774 of them annually, the effect will be phenomenal. Some LGA councils’ performance will put many governors to shame.

“At the same time, I will call on Chief Edozie Njoku to compel the governor of my state to fix a date for conducting the Local government council’s election in Anambra state without delay.

“Anambra state has remained the worst hit state, as the successive governors have been operating with caretaker and interim council structure for the last 21 years. Records show that all the governors have lavished over trillions of Local government funds.

“To strengthen the judgment, I further call on all National Chairmen of all other political parties that are in control of the states to call their governors to conduct Local council elections forthwith. “