Atiku pledges to ensure LG autonomy is elected president

Former Vice-President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the 2027 election, Atiku Abubakar, has pledged to enforce the Supreme Court judgment on local government autonomy if elected president.

Atiku said his administration would ensure that funds allocated to the 774 local government areas (LGAs) from the Federation Account were paid directly to them, rather than being channelled through state governments.

His position was contained in a statement issued on Tuesday by his spokesperson, Kenneth Okonkwo, who said the former vice-president would uphold the rule of law and strengthen the financial and administrative independence of local governments.

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The Supreme Court, on July 11, 2024, ruled that allocations from the Federation Account meant for the 774 local government councils should be paid directly to them.

The judgment followed a suit instituted by the Federal Government against the 36 state governors over the administration, funding and financial independence of local governments.

Despite the judgment, some states have yet to fully comply with the directive.

Atiku said that, if elected president, he would ensure strict compliance with the court’s decision and use local government autonomy to promote development at the grassroots.

“My administration will respect court judgments, protect local government autonomy, ensure that public funds reach the people for whom they are meant, and restore true federalism,” the statement quoted Atiku as saying.

According to him, direct access to funds would enable local governments to deliver development projects and public services more effectively while bringing governance closer to Nigerians at the grassroots.

He also argued that greater financial independence for local governments would strengthen their ability to address security challenges, including crime and terrorism, while helping to reduce poverty.

Atiku, however, criticised the administration of President Bola Tinubu over what he described as its failure to enforce the Supreme Court judgment on direct payment of local government allocations.

He alleged that the administration had been reluctant to confront some state governors over the issue.

According to him, the funds were being retained as an “enticement” for governors to support President Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.

“Atiku acknowledges that the Supreme Court had ruled on July 2024 that local government funds should be paid directly to local governments,” the statement said.

“Yet, the current administration of President Tinubu has failed to enforce this judgment, seemingly to avoid confronting the gluttonous APC State Governors who previously controlled these funds, as an enticement to them to use the Local Government funds to buy votes for Tinubu in 2027 presidential election.”

The former vice-president said restoring genuine local government autonomy would be a key component of his administration’s approach to governance and federalism.

He maintained that allowing local governments to have direct access to their statutory allocations would improve accountability and ensure that resources intended for grassroots development were deployed for that purpose.

The issue of direct funding for local governments has remained a major subject of debate since the Supreme Court’s 2024 judgment.

In December, President Bola Tinubu warned state governors that he could issue an executive order to enforce the direct allocation of funds to local governments if they failed to comply with the Supreme Court ruling.