2027: Atiku fires another shot at Tinubu, vows direct LG allocations payment

*‘No more state governors controlling council allocations’, ADC candidate promises to enforce Supreme Court Ruling

By KEMI KASUMU

Those who believe in the Atiku’s promised implemention of LG autonomy, if elected, have expressed true hope and trust that it is the fastest way to move Nigeria forward. This, they say, is because when local governments work, development from the grassroots will be alive again and Nigeria will move forward easily.b”But still make sure that no godfather will be able to corner any local government chairman to one side to make him submit his council fund to him in the name of loyalty,” one of them advised Atiku.

Former Vice-President and 2027 presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has vowed to strip state governors of control over local government allocations if elected President.

Atiku said his administration would enforce the Supreme Court’s July 2024 judgment directing that funds meant for Nigeria’s 774 local government councils be paid directly to them.

The former vice-president’s position, contained in a statement issued by his spokesperson, Kenneth Okonkwo, puts local government financial autonomy at the centre of his 2027 campaign agenda.

Atiku declared, “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 Supreme Court had ruled on July 11, 2024, that allocations from the Federation Account should be paid directly to local governments, following a suit filed by the Federal Government against the 36 state governors.

But Atiku accused the Tinubu administration of failing to fully enforce the judgment, alleging that the Federal Government was unwilling to confront governors who have traditionally exercised control over council funds.

The DEFENDER reports that Tinubu’s failure to implement the Supreme Court judgement on LG autonomy is despite that he was the one that initiated the case and got the judgement but has continued to keep it unenforced.

Atiku went further, alleging that the continued control of local government resources was being used politically ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

The ADC candidate accused the government of allowing governors to retain control of the funds as an “enticement” to secure their political support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid.

“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,” the statement said.

Atiku argued that direct funding would give local governments greater capacity to provide roads, healthcare, education, security and other essential services at the grassroots.

He also linked financial autonomy to the fight against insecurity, saying stronger councils would be better positioned to respond to crime and terrorism and address poverty in their communities.

The former vice-president said his proposed policy would mark a fundamental shift in Nigeria’s federal structure by giving elected local governments greater control over resources constitutionally allocated to them.

The promise also gives Atiku a potent campaign issue as the 2027 contest gathers momentum, placing him directly against both the Federal Government and state governors over the control of local government finances.

President Tinubu himself had warned state governors in December that he could issue an executive order to enforce direct payment of local government allocations if they failed to comply with the Supreme Court ruling.

With the 2027 election approaching, Atiku is now promising that, under his presidency, local government money will go straight to the councils — not through the governors.

Atiku made the first shot when he promised to revoke the fuel subsidy removal policy of the current administration, the wound of which the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led presidency and Federal Government still nurse till President until the second shot of direct council allocations was made.

It will be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari Administration already signed an Executive Order to give force to what constitutionally belong to the grassroots administration from the Federal Allocation Account but, allegedly, governors under the influence of Lagos controlled by Tinubu, who at the time was no longer the state governor, kicked at it.

The sane Tinubu, who should have simply implemented the Buhari’s Executive Order since he has gotten almost all Nigerian governors under his control had “needlessly” had to take the matter to Supreme Court.

Despite getting the apex judgement in his own favour, Tinubu has still been unable to implement it thus vindicating critics that claimed he was merely playing politics. Some of the critics said they were surprised that Tinubu was now threatening to issue Executive Order to force the governors to implement the Supreme Court judgement but, one of them asked, “Why has he not issued the Executive Order up till now since he made the threat last December? If he does it now, it is Atiku at work.”

Those who believe in the Atiku’s promised implemention of LG autonomy, if elected, have expressed true hope and trust that it is the fastest way to move Nigeria forward.

This, they say, is because when local governments work, development from the grassroots will be alive again and Nigeria will move forward easily.

“But still make sure that no godfather will be able to corner any local government chairman to one side to make him submit his council fund to him in the name of loyalty,” one of them advised Atiku.