The Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr. Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, has condemned the continued illegal removal of democratically elected Local Government (LG) officials by state governors, despite a Supreme Court judgment declaring the practice unconstitutional.

Speaking at a State of the Nation discourse on strengthening local government autonomy in Nigeria, organized by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Fagbemi warned that the persistent disobedience to the apex court’s ruling could have severe consequences for any state involved.

“Let me state in unequivocal terms that this act is tantamount to treason and must be treated as such,” Fagbemi declared.

He described as “worrisome” the collusion between state governors and their respective state assemblies to dismantle elected local government structures, replacing them with handpicked appointees.

While acknowledging that Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution grants governors immunity from prosecution, Fagbemi insisted that the Federal Government would not tolerate the flagrant violation of the Supreme Court’s decision.

“This flagrant disobedience to the Supreme Court judgment will have unpleasant consequences for the state as a whole, should it persist,” he warned.

Fagbemi noted that local government structures had nearly become extinct until his office took the matter to the Supreme Court, resulting in a ruling that reaffirmed the autonomy of local councils.

Meanwhile, addressing the delay in the direct disbursement of funds to LGAs as ordered by the Supreme Court, CBN’s Director of Legal Services, Mr. Salam-Alade, explained that the apex bank previously had no banking relationship with local governments.

He disclosed that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had begun a Know Your Customer (KYC) process to profile individuals who would serve as signatories to local government accounts.

“All that ALGON needs to do is to encourage its members to approach the CBN within their locality. Within 48 hours, their problem will be solved,” Salam-Alade assured.

He urged all 774 local governments to submit their documentation to facilitate the operationalization of their accounts.

However, Mr. Sam Akala, a representative of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), countered the CBN’s claim, stating that the association was not aware of any formal communication regarding the account opening process.

“I cannot confirm that such communication has been received officially,” Akala said, while expressing ALGON’s readiness to support grassroots development.

In his welcome address, NBA President, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, emphasized the urgent need to protect local government autonomy, warning that failure to empower LGAs could lead to greater instability.

“There must be democracy at the local government level. If we fail to get it right there, we may be setting the stage for a greater calamity,” Osigwe cautioned.

The discourse, which featured retired Supreme Court Justice Ejembi Eko as the guest speaker, was attended by state attorneys-general, government officials, and senior legal practitioners, all calling for concrete reforms to ensure the independence of local governments across Nigeria.