A former Governor of Delta State, James Ibori, has said that the Supreme Court judgment that granted full autonomy to local governments dealt “a severe setback on the principles of federalism.”

Ibori, in a post on X shortly after the judgment, expressed his disagreement with the verdict, referencing constitutional provisions to substantiate his claim that the decision undermines the foundations of federalism.

After an intense back and forth between the Federal Government and state governors, the Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that it is unconstitutional for governors to withhold funds earmarked for local government councils, paving the way for autonomy and direct funding for local governments.

Citing Section 162 (3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), Ibori said, “The section expressly provides thus:

“Any amount standing to the credit of the Federation Account shall be distributed among the Federal and State Governments and the Local Government Councils in each State on such terms and in such manner as may be prescribed by the National Assembly. Sections 6 provide further clarity on the subject matter.

“(6) Each State shall maintain a special account to be called ‘State Joint Local Government Account’ into which shall be paid all allocations to the Local Government Councils of the State from the Federation Account and from the Government of the State.”

The former governor said the Federal Government has no right to interfere with the administration of local governments “under any guise whatsoever.”