Tinubu urges govt to obey court on council funds
By Wole Shadare
LAGOS State Governor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, yesterday urged the Federal Government not to misinterprete the verdict of the Supreme Court but abide by it.
He also called on the government to release funds for the 20 former local councils as contained in the court's ruling without further delay.
The governor told journalists yesterday at the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Lagos that he knew that the Federal Government believed in the rule of law.
His words: "I won't make any threat and I won't pre-empt whatever government would try to do. I know that the government believes in the rule of law as it has stated categorically on television and to the nation several times. If the Supreme Court asked the President to pay, he will pay. He is the leader of a democratic government."
According to him, this is the best opportunity "to attest to our loyalty and demonstrate our commitment to constitutional democracy."
The Supreme Court ruled that President Olusegun Obasanjo has no constitutional powers to withhold funds for local councils or tamper with the Federation Account.
The apex court added that though Lagos State has the constitutional power to create new councils, "there is still one more step to be taken or crossed by the National Assembly for the plaintiff (Lagos State) to actualise the creation of the new local councils."
The court, therefore, overruled the additional councils created by the Lagos State House of Assembly without a consequential legislation by the National Assembly.
In effect, the Supreme Court ordered the disbursement of funds to the 20 local councils of the state recognised by the constitution.
The judgment has elicited joy in the camps of the President and Governor Tinubu, with both claiming victory.
The dispute between the Lagos and the Federal Government came to the fore when President Obasanjo, in a circular to the Minister of Finance, directed her to suspend the disbursement of funds from the Federation Account to all the newly created local councils in the country.
Irked by the directive, the Lagos State government went to the Supreme Court to seek redress.
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