Former Speaker, Kwara State House of Assembly, Prof. Ali Ahmad has advised President Ahmed Tinubu to be cautious of potential retaliatory lawsuits from state governors against his Supreme Court victory on full local government autonomy.
Ahmad, in a statement issued on Monday also advised the President to be cautious of other hostile actions from those not happy with the outcome from the Supreme Court.
He added that history will remember Tinubu kindly for his efforts in reforming the local government system.
“However, I caution President Tinubu to expect retaliation lawsuits and other hostile steps from the Governors. A reformer must expect that change is never easy, and it often creates discord. But posterity will be kind to the LG reformer that Tinubu is,” Ahmad said.
The former Speaker also urged Tinubu to initiate and transmit a one-item, emergency executive bill to the National Assembly to enable the INEC to conduct local government elections in the country.
He said such a bill must be treated in isolation, and legislative works must be concluded within a few weeks.
Ahmad said that the Third Schedule to the Constitution should be reviewed for the nation’s electoral umpire to organize elections for local government areas.
“With Nigeria’s support for granting full financial autonomy to local governments across the nation, the people say ‘God save the President’,” he said.
While commending the Supreme Court judgement on the local government financial autonomy, Ahmad also thanked President Tinubu and the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), for reigniting hope of a working Nigeria.
He said the historical judicial intervention is of inestimable value, comparing it to the legislative adoption of the principle of “necessity” in saving the soul of the country.
Ahmad encouraged senior citizens to actively participate in politics and run for local government positions in their communities to bring much-needed governance closer to the people.
“By this action, the AGF and Mr President have rekindled the hope of Nigerians that Nigeria can still work. Personally, it gives me hope that more quality people take an interest in active politics.
“I dream that in the lifetime of this administration, former federal lawmakers, professors, and engineers will aspire to become LG chairmen to bring badly-needed governance closer to the grassroots,” he said.
Ahmad said that liberating the local government from the control of governors has been an enduring challenge, resisting numerous constitutional amendment exercises, Presidential Executive Orders, and decisions of the Supreme Court.
“Learning from these previous failures, taking this unconventional step of instituting this case could be the most popular decision of President Tinubu’s Administration so far.
“The case gives clear expression to latent provisions of the Constitution on the financial autonomy of LGs,” he said.
Ahmad, a former member of the House of Representatives, acknowledged the contributions of President Tinubu, as well as other legal experts at the instance of Attorney General of the Federation.
The Federal Government instituted a case against the 36 state governors with the apex court giving a judgement regarding the status of the third tier of government.
The Supreme Court stated that it is illegal and unconstitutional for governors to continue to receive and seize funds allocated to LGAs in their states. (NAN)
By Funmilayo Adeyemi
