Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has urged President Bola Tinubu to implement the Supreme Court judgment granting financial autonomy to local governments, warning that continued delay is harming development at the grassroots.
Atiku made the call in a statement posted on his official X handle on Wednesday, noting that nearly two years after the ruling, the Federal Government has yet to fully enforce the court’s directive.
“Supreme Court judgments are final, not optional. Persistently refusing to enforce one is a direct breach of the Constitution and a violation of the oath you swore to Nigerians,” Atiku said.
He argued that denying local governments financial autonomy weakens governance at the grassroots, stalls development and deepens poverty in communities.
“Local governments are the closest arm of government to the people. By withholding their financial autonomy, you are not weakening governors—you are crippling communities, stalling development, and deepening poverty at the grassroots,” he added.
The former vice president urged President Tinubu to direct the Attorney-General of the Federation to immediately enforce the judgment, describing any further delay as a failure of leadership.
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President Tinubu had earlier addressed the issue during the 15th National Executive Committee meeting of the All Progressives Congress, urging state governors to comply with the Supreme Court verdict.
He warned that failure to comply might compel him to issue an Executive Order to ensure direct allocation of funds from the Federation Account to local councils.
“The Supreme Court has capped it for you again, saying, ‘give them their money directly.’ If you wait for my Executive Order… I will cut it,” Tinubu said.
The Supreme Court judgment, delivered on July 11, 2024, upheld the Federal Government’s suit seeking to enforce financial independence for local governments and affirmed their right to receive direct allocations from the Federation Account Allocation Committee.