A coalition of Civil Society Organizations, operating as the Save Nigerian Democracy Group, has criticized Anambra State Governor Charles Soludo’s stance on the recent Supreme Court judgment that granted full financial autonomy to Nigeria’s 774 Local Government Areas.
The coalition argued on Friday that, contrary to Soludo’s position, direct allocation of funds to LGAs from the federation account would support grassroots development.
In a statement released to the press in Abuja, the SNDG praised President Bola Tinubu, stating that his “spirited attempts to navigate the country away from its current economic and financial quagmire” led to a judgment that they believe will foster “organic rural development that will drive the national development index.”
The coalition expressed concern over Governor Soludo’s ongoing criticism of the ruling instead of focusing on heightened security challenges in Anambra State.
It noted, “To mitigate Gov. Soludo’s ambush against President Tinubu and the Supreme Court via the Anambra State House of Assembly, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, created a new Directorate and appointed Lami Chinade as the Director of the newly created State Liaison Directorate in the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).”
The coalition explained that the purpose of the Directorate is to ensure that “LG funds are not tampered with under any guise.”
“Regrettably, rather than face the insecurity issues in Anambra, [Soludo] has resorted to leading an ill crusade by sitting on appeal over a Supreme Court judgment on LG autonomy,” the SNDG statement added.
They further accused Soludo of being opposed to the third tier of government and criticized his claim that granting financial autonomy to LGAs would lead to “chaos.” The coalition suggested that Soludo’s stance reflected his resistance to the Supreme Court’s APGA leadership ruling in favor of Chief Edozie Njoku as the rightful National Chairman of APGA.
The SNDG statement continued, “While the global economy is not at its best, it is pertinent to note that President Tinubu willfully decided to take 10% from the federation account, whilst leaving the States with 90%…Ordinarily, this move should impel State Governors to look away from the LG funds.”
The coalition further argued that, despite these gestures by the Presidency, some governors remained focused on controlling LG funds, saying, “This brazenness to bring down the law to achieve this impunity is what we are up against,” as signed by SNDG coordinator Mr. Cornelius Ajagbe.
The SNDG coalition includes groups such as the Nigerian Democratic Movement, Campaign for Greater Nigeria, No Alternative to Peace Initiative, and Advancement of Freedom and Rights of Citizens.
Governor Soludo, in remarks made on October 15 during the signing of the Anambra LG Administration Law 2024, had asserted that granting full autonomy to the LGAs would lead to “humongous chaos” rather than sustainable development.
He argued that the Supreme Court ruling did not invalidate Section 7 of the 1999 Constitution, which, he said, empowers state governments to enact enabling laws for LGA administration.
