by Nurat Uthman
The Supreme Court has nullified the National Lottery Act 2005 enacted by the National Assembly.
The judgment followed the suit filed in 2008 by Lagos and some other states.
Ruling on the matter, the Apex Court in a unanimous judgement consisting of seven members on Friday held that the National Assembly lacked the powers to legislate on issues relating to lottery and games of chance.
The lead judgment was delivered by Justice Mohammed Idris.
The court ruled that such powers only reside with the state Houses of Assembly, which possess exclusive jurisdiction over lottery and games of chance.
The court also ordered that the National Lottery Act 2005 should no longer be enforced in all states, except the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
