Supreme Court strikes out Osun’s suit on withheld LG funds
The Supreme Court has struck out a suit filed by the Osun State Government through its Attorney General seeking to compel the Federal Government to release allocations due to Local Governments in the state. In a majority decision of six to one, the apex court held that the Osun Attorney General lacked the locus standi to sue on behalf of the Local Governments, noting that councils are separate legal entities with the capacity to sue in their own names to enforce their rights. Delivering the lead judgment, Justice Mohammed Idris ruled that the plaintiff failed to disclose any proper cause of action capable of invoking the Supreme Court’s original jurisdiction under Section 232(1) of the Constitution. He found that the real dispute was about alleged non release of funds standing to the credit of Osun Local Governments in the Federation […]