The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has pledged to ensure the direct payment of statutory allocations to Nigeria’s 774 local government councils if elected president in 2027.
Atiku, a former vice president, pledged in a statement issued by his spokesperson, Kenneth Okonkwo, and posted on X on Tuesday.
He said an ADC-led administration would uphold the rule of law, respect court judgments and guarantee the constitutional independence of the three tiers of government, including local councils.
Atiku accused the administration of President Bola Tinubu of failing to implement the Supreme Court’s July 2024 judgment affirming the financial autonomy of local governments.
He alleged that the failure to enforce the judgment was politically motivated, claiming that the Federal Government was reluctant to confront state governors who had historically exercised control over local government funds.
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“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,” Atiku said.
According to him, direct access to statutory allocations would strengthen local councils, reduce poverty, improve basic services and enhance their capacity to tackle insecurity, including crime and terrorism.
Atiku also alleged that political considerations ahead of the 2027 presidential election were influencing the Tinubu administration’s position on local government autonomy.
The Supreme Court, in July 2024, ordered the Federal Government to pay allocations meant for local governments directly to democratically elected councils in a landmark ruling aimed at strengthening the financial independence of the third tier of government.
However, implementation of the judgment has remained contentious, with PUNCHONLINE reporting in July that it was still stalled despite N10.48 trillion reportedly being allocated to local governments within the period.
