"State Governors Can See Beyond Greed": PDP Chieftain Opens Up on LG Autonomy

• PDP chieftain, Rilwan Olanrewaju, has commended the ruling of the Supreme Court over the local government financial autonomy
• In an exclusive interview with Legit.ng, Olanrewaju called on the governors and the federal government to sit on the round table and discuss the effective implementation of the judgment
• According to the PDP chieftain, the Supreme Court verdict was a welcome development and politic to him, is local

Rilwan Olanrewaju, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has commended the Supreme Court judgment granting financial autonomy to local government in Nigeria.

In an exclusive interview with Legit.ng, the PDP chieftain expressed optimism that governors would abide with the ruling and ensure the effectiveness of local government administration in Nigeria.

LG Autonomy: PDP chieftain calls for understanding

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Olanrewaju also urged the federal government to find a middle ground with the states and come to the round table to make the country work better.

According to the PDP chieftain, a common understanding between states and federal government would help in avoiding a situation where one is being killed for another.

His statement reads:

"I think it's a good step to restructuring, its a way out and I hope the state governors can see beyond greed but actual patriotisms to allow every tiers of government to function accordingly. I also urged the federal government to have an open dialogue because I suspected it was not being sincere in the overall assessment.

"State and federal government must find a common ground to implement the Supreme Court judgment so that we won't have to destroy one to create another. The time is right for local government to enjoy freedom and total liberation.

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"I urged the state governors to tell Nigerians the main reason behind their reluctance to see local government comes back to life. I believe government is local and having a strong local government authorities, a lot of Nigerians will enjoys dividend of democracy."

Supreme Court rules on tenure of LG chairmen

Legit.ng earlier reported that the Supreme Court has said that the local government chairmen's tenure lasts every four years like the presidents and governors.

Justice Mohammed Garba of the apex court gave the ruling in a judgment on local government autonomy delivered on May 11, 2024.

The court ruled that it is illegal for the states to control the funds of local governments as it undermines their statutory functions.

Source: Legit.ng