Atiku accuses Tinubu of defying Supreme Court judgment on local government autonomy

By Nwafor Sunday Polycarp

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration of deliberately ignoring a binding judgment of the Supreme Court directing the Federal Government to implement direct allocation of funds to local governments from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC).

In a statement shared on his official Facebook page, Atiku said that by July next year, the Tinubu administration would have spent two full years failing to comply with the apex court’s ruling, describing the action as “defiance” rather than mere delay.

According to Atiku, the continued non-implementation of the judgment amounts to a calculated political strategy aimed at using obedience to the law as leverage to pressure opposition governors into joining the All Progressives Congress (APC) and to maintain firm control over governors within the ruling party.

“This is not delay. It is defiance,” Atiku stated. “Your refusal to act is a calculated political move—using obedience to the law as a bargaining chip for partisan advantage.”

He stressed that Supreme Court judgments are final and not optional, warning that persistent refusal to enforce such rulings constitutes a breach of the Constitution and a violation of the presidential oath of office.

The former vice president lamented that local governments, being the closest tier of government to the people, were bearing the brunt of the Federal Government’s inaction. He argued that withholding financial autonomy from councils was crippling grassroots development, leading to abandoned health centres, unpaid salaries, deteriorating infrastructure and deepening poverty.

“By denying local governments their financial autonomy, you are not weakening governors; you are punishing communities and worsening hardship at the grassroots,” Atiku said.

He noted what he described as a contradiction between the administration’s public commitment to local government autonomy and its failure to enforce the court ruling backing that policy.

Atiku urged President Tinubu to direct the Attorney-General of the Federation to immediately enforce the Supreme Court judgment, insisting that the matter required no executive threats or political manoeuvring.

“The solution is simple: instruct the Attorney-General to enforce the judgment immediately. Anything short of this is a failure of leadership,” he said.

He warned that continued inaction sends a message that political control and party dominance are being prioritised over constitutional responsibility, economic justice and the welfare of Nigerians already grappling with economic hardship.

“Nigeria deserves leadership that obeys the law it swore to protect, not one that bends it for political gain,” Atiku added, cautioning that history and Nigerians would not forget the episode.

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