Atiku Accuses Tinubu of Breaching Constitution Over LG Autonomy
- Atiku Abubakar has accused President Bola Tinubu of deliberately ignoring a Supreme Court judgment on local government financial autonomy
- The former vice president alleged that the continued non-implementation is a political strategy to control governors and weaken opposition parties
- Atiku warned that failing to enforce the ruling amounts to a breach of the Constitution and deepens poverty at the grassroots
Legit.ng's Muslim Muhammad Yusuf is a 2025 Wole Soyinka Award-winning journalist with over 8 years of experience in investigative reporting, human rights, politics, governance and accountability in Nigeria.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of deliberately breaching the Nigerian Constitution by failing to implement a Supreme Court judgment granting financial autonomy to local governments.
In a strongly worded statement shared via his official X (formerly Twitter) handle, Atiku alleged that the Tinubu-led administration has willfully ignored the apex court’s directive on direct allocation of funds from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) to local governments.
Source: Facebook
According to Atiku, by July next year, the federal government would have spent two years refusing to comply with the judgment, describing the situation not as a delay but as “defiance” of the rule of law.
The former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) claimed that the failure to enforce the judgment was a calculated political strategy aimed at coercing opposition governors to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and tightening control over governors within the ruling party.
Atiku alleged that the president had reduced constitutional obedience to a political bargaining tool.
"Let us be clear: 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 wrote.
Supreme Court judgments are final
Atiku stressed that Supreme Court judgments are final and binding, warning that persistent refusal to enforce one amounts to a direct violation of the Constitution and a breach of the oath of office sworn by the president.
He further argued that local governments, being the closest tier of government to the people, have been crippled by the continued denial of financial autonomy, leading to stalled development at the grassroots.
According to him, poor infrastructure, abandoned health centres, and unpaid salaries at the local level are consequences of deliberate policy choices rather than administrative oversight.
He said
"Local governments are the closest arm of government to the people. By withholding their financial autonomy (which ironically you've been trumpeting as a core cardinal policy), you are not weakening governors, you are crippling communities, stalling development, and deepening poverty at the grassroots"
Source: Twitter
Direct AGF on LG autonomy - Atiku to Tinubu
The former vice president dismissed calls for executive orders or political grandstanding, insisting that the solution was straightforward.
He asked the president to instruct the Attorney-General of the Federation to enforce the judgment immediately.
"This situation does not require threats of Executive Orders or political drama. The solution is simple: instruct the Attorney-General of the Federation to enforce the judgment immediately. Anything short of this is a failure of leadership." Atiku said.
He said Tinubu's continued inaction sends a clear message that political control matters more than constitutional duty.
Atiku concluded by warning that the administration’s inaction sends a dangerous signal that political dominance outweighs constitutional duty and economic justice, adding that Nigerians and history would judge the government’s conduct on the issue.
As of the time of filing this report, the presidency has yet to respond to Atiku’s allegations.
Tinubu issues threats to governors over LG autonomy
Legit.ng earlier reported that President Bola Tinubu has threatened to invoke the power of the executive order of the presidency in granting financial autonomy to local governments in Nigeria.
The president issued the threat while speaking at the 15th APC NEC meeting at the state house in Abuja on Friday, December 19.
President Tinubu called on the governors to implement local government autonomy while telling them what he would do if they failed to do so.
Source: Legit.ng
