Atiku Accuses Tinubu of Defying Supreme Court Ruling on Local Government Autonomy
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration of deliberately defying a binding judgment of the Supreme Court on local government financial autonomy, alleging that the Federal Government has refused to implement direct allocation of funds to local councils nearly two years after the ruling.
In a statement posted on his official Facebook page, Atiku said the continued failure to enforce the judgment, which mandates direct disbursement of local government funds from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), amounts to “defiance” rather than bureaucratic delay.
According to the former vice president, by July next year the Tinubu administration would have spent two full years ignoring the apex court’s decision, a development he described as a grave threat to constitutional order and democratic governance.
“This is not delay. It is defiance,” Atiku declared. “The refusal to act is a calculated political move—using obedience to the law as a bargaining chip for partisan advantage.”
Atiku alleged that the non-implementation of the judgment was part of a broader political strategy aimed at pressuring opposition governors to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), while tightening control over governors already within the party.
He argued that selective enforcement of court judgments undermines the rule of law and violates the Constitution, stressing that Supreme Court decisions are final, binding and not subject to executive discretion.
“Supreme Court judgments are not optional,” Atiku said, warning that persistent refusal to enforce them constitutes a breach of the Constitution and a violation of the presidential oath of office.
The former vice president lamented that local governments—described as the tier of government closest to the people—were the worst victims of the Federal Government’s inaction. He said the continued denial of financial autonomy to councils was crippling grassroots development and worsening socio-economic conditions across the country.
According to him, the effects of the policy are visible nationwide in the form of unpaid local government salaries, abandoned primary healthcare centres, deteriorating rural infrastructure and deepening poverty at the community level.
“By denying local governments their financial autonomy, you are not weakening governors,” Atiku said. “You are punishing communities and worsening hardship at the grassroots.”
He also accused the Tinubu administration of hypocrisy, noting what he described as a sharp contradiction between its public commitment to local government autonomy and its refusal to enforce a Supreme Court ruling that affirms that same principle.
Atiku insisted that enforcing the judgment requires no political bargaining or executive threats, urging President Tinubu to immediately direct the Attorney-General of the Federation to carry out the ruling.
“The solution is simple,” he said. “Instruct the Attorney-General to enforce the judgment immediately. Anything short of this is a failure of leadership.”
He warned that continued inaction sends a dangerous signal that political dominance and party interests are being prioritised over constitutional responsibility, economic justice and the welfare of Nigerians already grappling with inflation, unemployment and declining public services.
“Nigeria deserves leadership that obeys the law it swore to protect, not one that bends it for political gain,” Atiku added.
He cautioned that history and the Nigerian people would not forget what he described as a critical test of the administration’s commitment to democracy, accountability and the rule of law.