Nigerian State Governors Sue President Over Revenue Allocation

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, September 17, 2002

Nigerian State Governors Sue President Over Revenue Allocation

Nigerian state governors on Monday filed a suit to the Supreme Court against the new revenue arrangement introduced by President Olusegun Obasanjo.

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Nigerian state governors on Monday filed a suit to the Supreme Court against the new revenue arrangement introduced by President Olusegun Obasanjo.

The 36 state governors, 21 of whom are from Obasanjo's ruling party, said in the court papers that the president violated the constitution when he adopted the new revenue formula without consulting the parliament.

The president in July allocated the extra revenue to the federal government after he approved a controversial amendment to the Revenue Allocation Act, which stipulates how the country's revenue should be split up between the federal, state and local governments.

The new revenue arrangement allows the federal government to get a major share of 54.68 percent instead of 56 percent, while the state governments and local governments received 24.72 percentand 20.60 percent instead of 24 and 20 percent respectively.

"Modification Order issued by the president is a violation of the judgment of the Supreme Court," the governors said in the suiton their behalf by southeast Abia State.

Local analysts said the latest move by the governors may be part of a wider plan to force Obasanjo to give up his reelection bid.

The Chief Justice of the Federation Mohammed Uwais fixed a hearing for the case for Nov. 7.

Obasanjo is currently struggling against the parliament for hispolitical survival after the lawmakers threatened to impeach him with 17 constitutional breaches committed by the president.

Local observers considered that the fierce struggle between thepresidency and the parliament is clearly deserving of more attention than impeachment itself especially in connection with the 2003 presidential contest.

The political struggle actually got heated up shortly after thepresident announced his intention to seek reelection on April 25.

Obasanjo, who is due to stand for reelection despite the threatby lawmakers to impeach him, has said the 17 charges against him made by the parliament are mere political talk and therefore should not constitute a reason for his impeachment.

As Obasanjo battles to stop the parliament from beginning impeachment proceedings against him, governors of the ruling party-controlled states have started lobbying for alternative presidential candidate for the 2003 election.

The analysts pointed that Obasanjo would want the ruling party's convention for the selection of presidential candidate to be held as early as October or November and he has told the governorsto support his re-nomination.

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