Councils’ Allocation: Obey Supreme Court Order, Atiku Tells Tinubu

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused President Bola Tinubu of not obeying a Supreme Court order directing the federal government to implement direct FAAC allocation to local governments.
Atiku said the president should instruct the Attorney-General of the Federation to enforce the judgment immediately, adding that anything short of that is a failure of leadership.

In a statement addressed to the president, Atiku reminded Tinubu that by July next year, his administration would have spent two full years, during which it had deliberately ignored a binding judgment of the Supreme Court directing the Federal Government to implement direct FAAC allocation to local governments. Atiku said the situation is not a delay but defiance, adding that his refusal to act is a calculated political move of using obedience to the law as a bargaining chip to force opposition governors into the APC and to keep governors within the ruling party under his firm control.

Atiku stated that by doing so, the president has reduced the Constitution to a tool of convenience and governance, rather than a means of partisan bargaining.“Let us be clear: Supreme Court judgments are final, not optional. Persistently refusing to enforce one is a direct breach of the Constitution and a violation of the oath you swore to Nigerians.

“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 issues of dominance 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. History will not forget this moment. Nigerians will not either,” Atiku stated.