Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to enforce the Supreme Court’s July 2024 ruling on the financial autonomy of local governments. The Court declared it unconstitutional for state governments to control funds allocated to local government areas and held that caretaker committees place local councils under state control, violating the 1999 Constitution.
Atiku’s statement follows President Tinubu’s appeal to governors to comply with the judgment, warning that non‑compliance could prompt an Executive Order directing direct allocations from the Federation Account to local governments. Atiku criticized this approach, arguing that threats of Executive Orders are unnecessary. He called on the President to instruct the Attorney‑General to implement the judgment immediately, accusing the President of deliberate, politically motivated inaction designed to pressure opposition governors into joining the All Progressives Congress and to retain control over party members.
Emphasizing that Supreme Court judgments are final and not optional, Atiku warned that refusing to enforce the ruling would constitute a breach of constitutional duty. He cautioned that such defiance would be remembered by history and the Nigerian people as a prioritisation of political control over constitutional obligations.
The call for enforcement underscores the ongoing debate over local‑government autonomy in Nigeria. While the 1999 Constitution grants local governments a degree of independence, state governments have historically exercised substantial control over their finances and operations. The Supreme Court’s decision seeks to rectify this imbalance and ensure that local governments receive the resources needed to fulfil their responsibilities.
Nigerians are closely watching the President’s next steps, as the enforcement of the ruling could represent a significant shift in the country’s governance structure, potentially granting greater autonomy to local governments and improving service delivery to citizens. The unfolding situation will reveal how the President responds to these calls and what implications it will have for Nigeria’s governance and political landscape.
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