‘You’re crippling communities’: Atiku accuses Tinubu of defying S’Court verdict on LG autonomy

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused President Bola Tinubu of deliberately refusing to implement a Supreme Court judgement mandating direct allocation of funds to local governments, describing the alleged inaction as a breach of the Constitution.

Atiku said this in a statement issued on Wednesday, December 24, 2025.

The former said the Tinubu administration ignored the apex court’s directive on direct disbursement of Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) funds to local councils, adding that the failure to enforce the judgement amounted to defiance rather than administrative delay.

The former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) alleged that the refusal to implement the ruling was a calculated political strategy aimed at pressuring opposition governors to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and tightening control over governors within the ruling party.

Atiku stressed that Supreme Court judgements are final and binding, warning that persistent failure to enforce them violates the Constitution and the oath of office sworn by the president.

He also faulted the federal government for withholding the financial autonomy of local governments, saying the action was crippling grassroots development and worsening poverty.

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Atiku stated: “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. Roads remain broken, health centres abandoned, salaries unpaid—not by accident, but by choice.

“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.

“Your continued inaction sends a clear message: that political control matters more than constitutional duty, that party dominance matters more than economic justice, and that regime survival outweighs the daily suffering of Nigerians already battered by harsh economic policies.

“Nigeria deserves leadership that obeys the law it swore to protect, not one that bends it for political gain.”

The Star