The Lagos State Government has approached the Supreme Court seeking leave to commence contempt proceedings against the National Assembly over the proposed Central Gaming Bill, 2025.
In a motion filed on behalf of the state’s Attorney-General by Bode Olanipekun, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Lagos is asking the apex court for permission to initiate judgment enforcement proceedings through the issuance of Form 48 — a formal notice warning of the consequences of disobeying a court order and a precursor to contempt proceedings.
The move comes amid an ongoing dispute between Lagos State and the National Assembly over the Central Gaming Bill, which aims to “regulate the operation and business of online gaming across all states in Nigeria, including specific provisions for activities in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).” The proposed legislation is currently under consideration by both chambers of the National Assembly.
According to the bill, the new law would create a unified regulatory framework for online and remote gaming across the country, effectively replacing the repealed National Lottery Act of 2005.
However, the Lagos State Government has argued that the Central Gaming Bill directly contravenes a Supreme Court judgment delivered in November 2024, which nullified the enforcement of the National Lottery Act within the 36 states of the federation.
In that landmark ruling, a seven-member panel of the Supreme Court held that the National Assembly lacked the constitutional authority to legislate on matters relating to lottery and gaming. The court ruled that such matters fall under the legislative competence of state assemblies, not the federal legislature, as they do not qualify as “trade and commerce” under the Exclusive Legislative List of the 1999 Constitution.
The Lagos government maintained in its fresh motion that since the apex court’s decision, the constitution has not been amended to include lottery or gaming under the federal government’s purview.
Lagos, which originally filed the suit in 2008 challenging federal control over gaming and lottery, was later joined by Ekiti State in 2020 as a co-plaintiff, along with several other states. Some northern states, however, joined the suit as co-defendants in support of the federal position.
The state government further noted in its affidavit that both the repealed National Lottery Act and the proposed Central Gaming Bill define “gaming” and “lottery” using nearly identical terms, reinforcing its position that the National Assembly is acting in defiance of the Supreme Court’s 2024 ruling.