Atiku Accuses Tinubu of Ignoring Supreme Court on LG Autonomy

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration of deliberately ignoring a Supreme Court judgment mandating 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 2026, the Tinubu administration would have spent two full years failing to comply with the apex court ruling, describing the inaction as “defiance” rather than mere delay. He alleged that the non-implementation was a calculated political strategy to pressure opposition governors into joining the All Progressives Congress (APC) and to maintain strict control over ruling-party governors.

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

The former vice president warned that withholding financial autonomy from local governments undermines grassroots development, resulting in unpaid salaries, abandoned health centres, deteriorating infrastructure, and worsening poverty. He criticized what he described as a contradiction between the administration’s public commitment to local government autonomy and its failure to enforce the Supreme Court ruling.

Atiku urged President Tinubu to direct the Attorney-General of the Federation to enforce the judgment immediately, insisting that the matter required no 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, warning that continued inaction prioritizes political control over constitutional responsibility and the welfare of Nigerians.

“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.