Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called on President Bola Tinubu to immediately enforce the Supreme Court judgment granting financial autonomy to local governments, warning that further delays are hurting communities across the country.
In a statement shared on his official X (formerly Twitter) account on Wednesday, Atiku expressed concern that nearly two years after the ruling, the Federal Government is yet to fully implement the directive.
According to him, Supreme Court judgments are binding and must be respected by all arms of government.
“Supreme Court judgments are final, not optional. Persistently refusing to enforce one amounts to a breach of the Constitution and a violation of the oath of office sworn to Nigerians,” Atiku stated.
He stressed that denying local councils financial independence weakens grassroots governance and slows development, noting that local governments are the closest tier of government to the people.
“By withholding their financial autonomy, you are not weakening governors. You are crippling communities, stalling development, and worsening poverty at the grassroots,” he added.
Atiku urged President Tinubu to direct the Attorney-General of the Federation to take immediate steps to enforce the judgment, describing this as the most straightforward solution. “Anything short of this is a failure of leadership,” he said.
President Tinubu had earlier addressed the matter at the 15th National Executive Committee meeting of the All Progressives Congress, where he appealed to state governors to comply with the Supreme Court’s decision.
He cautioned that continued non-compliance could force him to issue an Executive Order to ensure that allocations from the Federation Account are paid directly to local government councils.
“The Supreme Court has made it clear again, give them their money directly. If you wait for my Executive Order, I will cut it,” Tinubu warned, stressing the need for swift implementation.
The Supreme Court judgment, delivered on July 11, 2024, upheld the Federal Government’s case for financial independence of local governments, affirming their constitutional right to receive allocations directly from the Federation Account Allocation Committee.
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