A high court in Kano State has decided that the federal government cannot interfere with the money that the state’s forty-four local governments own. Justice Musa Ibrahim Karaye reviewed the information given by the local government authorities and rendered the decision on Monday.
The opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) first claimed that the state electoral commission’s October 2024 local government elections had been tainted, and they sought a court injunction to halt the distribution of funding to the local governments.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, and all commercial banks were previously ordered by the court to refrain from manipulating the funds until the case was resolved.
Barrister Bashir Yusuf Tudun Wuzirchi, who acted on behalf of the 44 local governments in the dispute, told reporters following the decision: “We filed the case to protect Kano State from forces attempting to obstruct development by targeting the local governments.
“Today, by God’s grace, the court ruled in our favor, granting all our requests. It also directed the federal government to refrain from tampering with these funds, which constitutionally belong to the local governments.”
Attempts to obtain a response from the opposition party’s legal representatives failed. Whether they will appeal the ruling is still up in the air.
In Kano State, the NNPP and APC are still engaged in a bitter political battle as they try to gain popular support before the general elections in 2027.
