Thursday’s Supreme Court judgement ruled that states with caretaker committee chairmen in their local government councils will not receive funds from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), renowned legal expert Mike Ozekhome, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, has clarified.
Over 18 states, including Rivers, Benue, Anambra, Imo, Kwara, Abia, Enugu, Plateau, Zamfara, Katsina, Kano, Sokoto, Yobe, Ondo, Osun, Akwa-Ibom, and Cross River, will be affected by this ruling, as they currently operate with caretaker committees.
The lawyer made the clarification in an interview with Channels Television on Friday.
“The judgment is clear: if you want FAAC funds, conduct elections. Caretaker committees won’t receive funds. Only democratically elected councils will get allocations,” Ozekhome stated.
This judgment ordered funds to be paid directly to LG accounts and prohibited governors from tampering with allocations. The court also barred governors from dissolving democratically elected local government officials, deeming it unconstitutional.
