The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), has hinted at the likelihood of returning to the Supreme Court to interpret state powers to conduct local government elections.
Fagbemi disclosed this at the opening of the 2023 national conference of the National Association of Judiciary Correspondents (NAJUC), Abuja with the theme: “The Role of Courts in Enforcement of Judgements” which was held on Thursday in Abuja.
He said the federal government is aware that since the July 11 Supreme Court judgement affirming the autonomy of local governments in Nigeria, the state governments have instituted legislation to continue the control of local governments through elections which could be challenged before the Supreme Court.
“We are not resting on our oars, and if we have no meaningful response, we may have to ask the Supreme Court to help us look at the constitution to see what would be allowed to conduct local government elections in the form we have now,” he said.
He stressed that President Bola Tinubu was committed to the independence of the 774 local governments to ensure that life returns to the lowest tier of government because “we cannot all be in Abuja.”
While recalling that the idea of challenging the abuse of the local government system was muted during his first interaction with the correspondents, Fagbemi extolled the importance of judiciary reporting in presenting the activities of courts and cautioned against sensationalism and non-factual reporting.
He also warned that state governors who tamper with local government funds will be guilty of gross misconduct and thus can be impeached.
In her speech, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, highlighted the complementary role of the judiciary and the media in any democratic society through serving as the guardian of justice, equity, and the rule of law, and as the conscience of society, disseminating information, shaping public opinion, and ensuring accountability.
The CJN, who was represented by the Secretary of the National Judicial Institute (NJI), Abdulazeez Olumo, however, expressed regrets that the commercialisation of news and external influences have led to the rise of sensationalism – a practice that distorts facts, erodes trust, and undermines the very essence of journalism.
In his speech, the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, called on journalists to report court proceedings accurately without sensationalism.
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