The hearing of a suit seeking to halt statutory allocations to the 44 local government areas of Kano State was postponed on Tuesday due to the absence of John Baiyeshea SAN, the 11th defence counsel.
Baiyeshea, who represents the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission (KANSIEC), was reportedly indisposed for medical reasons and had sent a letter requesting an adjournment.
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The case was originally filed by the plaintiffs, Abdullahi Abbas, Aminu Aliyu-Tiga, and the All Progressives Congress (APC) through their counsel, Sunday Olowomoran.
The suit, which was filed in October and November 2024, seeks to prevent the Federal Government, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and the Accountant-General of the Federation from releasing statutory funds to the 44 local government areas of Kano.
The plaintiffs argue that the local governments in question are not democratically elected in accordance with Section 7(1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended. In addition to the Federal Government, the CBN, and the Accountant-General of the Federation, the suit also names several other defendants, including the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission, the Minister of Finance, and the Attorney General of the Federation, among others.
At the resumed sitting at the Federal High Court in Kano on Monday, the presiding judge, Justice Simon Amobeda, acknowledged the request for an adjournment. He instructed that all applications requiring a response be filed and ready before the next hearing date. The case was adjourned until March 4, 2025, for further proceedings.
Femi Falana, counsel for the state Attorney General, informed the court that the plaintiffs had served them with six processes. Legal representatives for other defendants, including Adegboyega Awomolo SAN for the Kano State Government, B.D. Uche for the first, third, and seventh respondents, and H.M. Ma’aruf, did not object to the adjournment.
Meanwhile, Sadiqu Sammani-Lawan, representing parties seeking to be joined in the suit, emphasized the importance of his clients’ involvement. He stated, “The interest of our client is very fundamental. They are the National Union of Local Government Employees, the National Union of Teachers, and health workers.
The allocation of the Federal Government goes directly to these employees, who are more than 60,000 in the state. If they are not joined in this suit, there will be a problem.”
