Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the 2027 election, has pledged to enforce the Supreme Court judgment granting financial autonomy to Nigeria’s 774 local government areas if elected president.
Gatekeepers News reports that Kenneth Okonkwo, Atiku’s spokesperson, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, saying the former vice-president would uphold the rule of law and strengthen the independence of local governments.
On July 11, 2024, the Supreme Court ruled that allocations from the federation account should be paid directly to the 774 local government councils rather than being channelled through state governments.
The judgment followed a suit instituted by the federal government against the 36 state governors over the administration and funding of local governments.
Despite the ruling, some states are yet to fully comply with the directive.
Atiku said his administration would ensure that funds meant for local governments reach them directly.
“My administration will respect court judgments, protect local government autonomy, ensure that public funds reach the people for whom they are meant, and restore true federalism,” he said.
According to the former vice-president, direct funding would bring development closer to Nigerians at the grassroots and help reduce poverty.
He also argued that greater financial independence would strengthen local governments’ ability to address insecurity, including crime and terrorism, within their jurisdictions.
Atiku, however, accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of failing to enforce the Supreme Court judgment.
He alleged that the government had avoided confronting state governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who, according to him, previously controlled local government funds.
The ADC candidate further alleged that the funds were being retained as an “enticement” for governors to support Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.
“Atiku acknowledges that the Supreme Court had ruled on July 2024 that local government funds should be paid directly to local governments,” the statement said.
“Yet, the current administration of President Tinubu has failed to enforce this judgment, seemingly to avoid confronting the gluttonous APC State Governors who previously controlled these funds, as an enticement to them to use the Local Government funds to buy votes for Tinubu in 2027 presidential election.”
In December, Tinubu warned state governors that he could issue an executive order to enforce the direct allocation of funds to local governments if they failed to comply with the Supreme Court ruling.
