Katsina: Radda asks legal implications on supreme court LG autonomy verdict

• Radda reaffirmed state’s commitment to upholding the constitution and operating within the legal framework of Nigeria.
• The state government pledges to address insecurity in frontline local governments.

Katsina State Governor, Dikko Radda, has sought legal guidance from the state’s Attorney General on the implications of the Supreme Court’s judgment regarding local government autonomy.

The Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Ibrahim Mohammed, disclosed this in a statement released on Saturday in Abuja, highlighting that local governments in Katsina State already enjoy considerable autonomy.

Governor Radda emphasized the state’s commitment to upholding the constitution and operating within the legal framework of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

He said: “I did not call you all today to interpret the judgment. Katsina State is a law-abiding state and will operate under the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I have asked the state Attorney General to give me a full report on the legal implications of the Supreme Court’s decision.”

“As you know, I was once the chairman of Charanchi Local Government during the administration of our beloved President Umaru Musa Yar’adua. I was involved in the day-to-day administration of my local government, and I am fully aware of the challenges and pains most of you are facing.

He acknowledged the potential challenges ahead but expressed optimism about the state’s preparedness: “We are facing various socio-economic challenges coupled with insecurity in our frontline local governments. When I took office in 2023, over 20 local governments were ravaged by insecurity. Our concerted efforts have reduced insecurity to the fringes of the frontline local governments.”

While highlighting his administration’s forward-thinking approach to local government administration, Radda noted that the state plans to conduct elections for new local government chairmen at the expiration of the tenure of incumbent chairmen.

“We have already carried out party primaries in line with electoral best practices, and some current chairmen will return through a democratic process. In this dispensation, we are most likely the only state to transition from one democratically elected local government council to another,” he said.