Supreme Court has fixed October 22 for the hearing of a suit filed by 16 state governments challenging the constitutionality of the laws establishing the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and two others.

A seven-man panel, led by Justice Uwani Abba-Aji, fixed the date, yesterday, after the states were joined as co-plaintiffs and leave granted for consolidation of the case in the suit originally filed by the Kogi Government through its attorney general.

The states that joined in the suit marked: SC/CV/178/2023 include: Ondo, Edo, Oyo, Ogun, Nassarawa, Kebbi, Katsina, Sokoto, Jigawa, Enugu, Benue, Anambra, Plateau, Cross River, and Niger.

According to the 16 states, they are relying on the fact that the constitution is the supreme law and any law that is inconsistent with it is a nullity.

The plaintiff argued that the Supreme Court had in Dr Joseph Nwobike Vs Federal Republic of Nigeria held that it was a UN Convention against corruption that was reduced into the EFCC Establishment Act and that in enacting this law in 2004, the provision of Section 12 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, was not followed.

They argued that in bringing a convention into the Nigerian law, the provision of Section 12 must be complied with.

According to them, the provision of the Constitution necessitates the majority of the state Houses of Assembly agreeing to bring the convention in before passing the EFCC Act and others, which was allegedly never done.

The argument of the states in their present suit, which they said had been corroborated by the Supreme Court in the previous case mentioned, was that the law, as enacted, could not be applied to states that never approved of it, in accordance with the provisions of the Nigerian constitution.

When the case was called, yesterday, lawyers, who represented the states, made their submissions.

While majority sought to be joined as co-plaintiffs, two of the states prayed for an order for consolidation of the case.

After the lawyers’ submissions, Justice Abba-Aji granted their prayers.

She adjourned the matter until October 22 for hearing.