The Chairman of the Progressive Local Government Chairmen’s Forum and Chairman of Chanchaga Local Government Area of Niger State, Dr Mustafa Jibril Alheri, has said that Local Government Councils in states governed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) are enjoying full autonomy in line with the Supreme Court judgment.

Alheri made the assertion on Wednesday while addressing journalists at the APC National Secretariat in Abuja.

His remarks came amid ongoing concerns and allegations that many state governors across the country have yet to fully comply with the Supreme Court’s landmark judgment granting financial autonomy to local government councils.

In July 2024, the Supreme Court ruled that funds allocated to local governments from the Federation Account should be paid directly to the councils, declaring unconstitutional the practice whereby state governments control and disburse local government allocations through joint state-local government accounts.

The court held that democratically elected local governments are entitled to receive and manage their funds independently.

Despite the judgment, there have been widespread complaints from local government stakeholders and civil society groups that some governors are yet to fully implement the ruling, prompting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to repeatedly call for compliance.

At a recent meeting with governors, the President reportedly warned that the Federal Government could take further measures to ensure enforcement of the judgment.

Responding to questions on the issue, Alheri dismissed suggestions that APC governors were resisting local government autonomy.

“The President has been pursuing this for a very long time, and a lot of our states, especially the progressive states, are enjoying full autonomy. A lot of states are enjoying full autonomy, and this is a gradual process. It is a transition process and something that has been going on for a very long time,” he said.

According to him, the APC leadership is committed to ensuring the full implementation of local government autonomy across the country.

“The APC, as a party, has taken it upon itself, through the leadership of the President, to ensure that we get complete and full autonomy. In Niger State, we are having all the support that we need from our governor, and most of the states under the Progressive Local Government leadership are also having very good support from their governors.

“We are transitioning jointly, slowly but surely, towards complete and full autonomy,” he added.

Alheri specifically praised Niger State Governor Mohammed Umar Bago, describing him as one of the strongest supporters of local government autonomy.

He said local government councils and state governments were working collaboratively in the implementation process, stressing that local government officials were signatories to major development initiatives undertaken by their states.

“We believe that surely the dream of Nigerians to see complete and full autonomy will come to pass across the whole of Nigeria,” he said.

The Progressive Local Government Chairmen’s Forum chairman also dismissed reports of friction between his group and the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON).

“We do not have any problem with ALGON. We are all working together to achieve a common goal for our people,” he stated, noting that several members of the forum also occupy leadership positions within ALGON.

Alheri explained that the forum was established as a political platform to mobilise grassroots support for President Tinubu and promote the policies and programmes of the APC at the local government level.

He argued that local government chairmen remain the closest elected officials to the grassroots and would play a critical role in determining the outcome of future elections.

On the 2027 presidential election, Alheri expressed confidence that President Tinubu would secure a second term, citing what he described as the administration’s bold economic reforms and growing support for the APC across the country.

According to him, the APC currently controls 31 states and has over 685 local government chairmen under the Progressive Local Government Chairmen’s Forum.

“What we anticipate is that at least over 70 per cent of the votes that will be cast will go to our party,” he said.

Alheri attributed the growing support for the APC to President Tinubu’s economic policies, including the removal of fuel subsidy and reforms in the foreign exchange market, which he said previous administrations had avoided because of political considerations.

He maintained that although Nigerians were facing economic difficulties, the reforms were necessary and would ultimately yield positive results.

“The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has taken that bold step. We are happy with the step he has taken because it was something that was inevitable,” he said.

The local government chairman further announced plans by the Progressive Local Government Chairmen’s Forum to formally endorse President Tinubu for a second term and mobilise local government officials and councillors nationwide in support of his re-election bid.

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