*27 local government areas, as listed in the First Schedule, Part I of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999. The list is constitutional, not administrative: a state may create development areas, but only an alteration of the Constitution can create a local government that draws from the Federation Account. Section 162(5)–(8) routes each council's share through a State Joint Local Government Account controlled by the state government — the arrangement the Supreme Court ruled against in Attorney-General of the Federation v. Attorney-General of Abia State & 35 Ors (11 July 2024), holding that allocations must go directly to democratically elected councils.*
The 27 councils#
- Aboh Mbaise
- Ahiazu Mbaise
- Ehime Mbano
- Ezinihitte
- Ideato North
- Ideato South
- Ihitte/Uboma
- Ikeduru
- Isiala Mbano
- Isu
- Mbaitoli
- Ngor Okpala
- Njaba
- Nkwerre
- Nwangele
- Obowo
- Oguta
- Ohaji/Egbema
- Okigwe
- Onuimo
- Orlu
- Orsu
- Oru East
- Oru West
- Owerri Municipal
- Owerri North
- Owerri West
Notes on the roster#
27 LGAs — the joint-highest in the South East, a legacy of the 1991 and 1996 splits that carved Abia and then parts of Ebonyi out of the old Imo.
References
Sources#
- Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), First Schedule Part I
- INEC local government delimitation register
- Supreme Court of Nigeria, SC/CV/343/2024, judgment of 11 July 2024 (local government financial autonomy)