By Eshioromeh Sebastian
The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Atiku Abubakar, has promised to ensure that local government allocations are paid directly to the councils, cutting out state governors, if he wins the 2027 presidential election.
In a statement shared on X.com by his spokesperson, Kenneth Okonkwo, the former Vice President said his administration would enforce the Supreme Court judgment on local government financial autonomy, which he accused the Tinubu government of ignoring.
Atiku alleged that the President was deliberately avoiding implementation of the judgment to maintain the support of state governors ahead of the 2027 polls.
“State governors are being allowed to retain control of local government funds as an incentive to support Tinubu’s re-election bid,” Atiku claimed.
He added that under his leadership, funds meant for the grassroots would be protected, and local governments would have the financial independence to drive development and combat insecurity.
“This move will ensure that development is brought to the grassroots, reduce poverty at the level of government nearest to the people, and guarantee financial independence to the local governments which will increase their capacity to fight crimes and terrorism at that level,” the statement read.
Atiku also stressed that his administration would respect court judgments and restore true federalism, describing the current situation as unacceptable.
“This is not the Nigeria we should accept,” he said.
Discussion about this post