President of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Bello Lawal has dissociated the group from a suit filed by one Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, who claimed to be a national officer of ALGON.

Abubakar had sued the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice and the Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and others in the name of the Registered Trustees of ALGON.

In the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/353/2025 filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja, the plaintiff wants the court to among others, include ALGON in the disbursement of local governments’ allocations.

He also wants the court to declare that in view of the Supreme Court decision of July 11, 2024 on financial autonomy to LGAs, their allocations should only be disbursed with ALGON’s approval.

However, in fresh documents filed by Lawal, the court is prayed to join him as a defendant to enable him discontinue the suit, which he said was not authorised by ALGON.

Lawal, who claimed that Abubakar was unknown to ALGON, has also filed a notice of discontinuance along with a preliminary objection, challenging the competence of the suit.

The notice of discontinuance reads: “Take notice that the named plaintiff, the name of the Registered Trustees of ALGON, pursuant to Order 50 Rule 2 of the Federal High Court (Civil Procedure Rules) 2019, hereby discontinue the above-named suit against all the defendants.

“Take further notice that the suit was not authorised, instructed or initiated with the permission of the Incorporated Trustees Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON).”

In a supporting affidavit deposed to by the Director, Legal Services in ALGON, Mrs. Evan Enekwe, it was stated that Abubakar was also neither a national officer of ALGON nor a staff.

Mrs. Enekwe stated that “the deponent, who filed this suit, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, is unknown to ALGON as he is not a Trustee, member of the ALGON National Executive Council, its staff or a chapter chairman.

“The 24th defendant (Lawal) is the duly elected President of ALGON, the plaintiff in this case.

The Board of Trustees of the plaintiff did not authorise or consent to the filing of this suit by Mr. Mohammed Abubakar in its name.

“Since discovering this unauthorised suit, the Board has written to the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice and other defendants in this suit to notify them that this suit was filed without the Board’s authority or consent.

“ALGON National Executive Council (NFC) has also, since the commencement of this suit, issued a disclaimer and dissociated itself with the said Mohammed Abubakar and this suit filed by him without its authority or consent, and which does not represent its position in relation to the activities of the Presidential Committee for Implementation of Supreme Court judgement in suit No. SC CV/343/2024.

 “Mr. Abubakar Mohamed, who deposed to the affidavit in support of this suit, is not a member of ALGON and has never been ALGON Secretary General and does not have the locus standi to file this action, not being an executive officer, or even a staff of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON).

“The purported search report of 8th March 2024 (Exhibit B), attached by Mr. Abubakar, was fraudulently obtained by Mr. Mohammed and his cohorts after they unlawfully infiltrated ALGON CAC records and made alterations.”