The Supreme Court, on Friday, nullified the National Lottery Act 2005 enacted by the National Assembly.
A seven-member panel of the apex court in its judgement read by Justice Mohammed Idris, held that the National Assembly lacked the powers to legislate on issues relating to lottery and games of chance.
The judgement followed a suit filed in 2008 by the Lagos state government and other states challenging the right of the Federal Government to regulate lottery and games of chance across the country.
In a unanimous judgment, the Supreme Court held that the National Lottery Act 2005 should no longer be enforced in all states, except the Federal Capital Territory, in respect of which the National Assembly is empowered to make laws.
The court also stated that such powers only reside with the state Houses of Assembly which has exclusive jurisdiction over lottery and games of chance.
The Attorneys General of 35 states who joined the suit on November 15, 2022, had asked the apex court to declare that lottery is not one of the 68 items for which the National Assembly has the exclusive vires to make laws under Part 1 of the Second Schedule of the 1999 Constitution as amended.
They also sought a declaration that the National Assembly lacks the vires to legally and constitutionally make any law to regulate and control the operation of lottery in Nigeria.