Free Council Funds, Embrace State Police, Tinubu Tells Governors

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Thursday directed governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to fully comply with the Supreme Court judgment granting financial autonomy to local government councils, insisting that independence is meaningless without direct access to funds.

The President gave the charge while addressing the National Caucus meeting of the ruling party, held at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja.

Tinubu told the governors, who control the majority of states in the federation, that leadership required flexibility, accommodation and strict adherence to constitutional order, especially at the grassroots level of governance.

Also in attendance are Vice President Kashim Shettima; President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas; Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu; Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum and Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodinma; and the APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda.

Referring to the apex court’s ruling on local government autonomy, Tinubu urged the party’s leaders to reflect on how best to position both the country and the APC in line with the judgment.

“Let us equally look at the recent Supreme Court judgment. What can we do with it and how well we can position our country and our party,” he said.

The President emphasised that local governments cannot function effectively without financial independence, warning against partial compliance with the court’s decision.

“To me, the local government autonomy, it is and must be effective. Let us give them… There is no autonomy without a funded mandate. We’ll give them their money directly. That’s the truth. That’s compliance of the Supreme Court,” Tinubu declared.

He charged APC governors to ensure that governance and party coordination extended to the grassroots, urging them to take leadership responsibilities seriously.

“You are in the leadership position that must yield and continue to promote, tolerate and be flexible. Get involved in whatever is happening in your various states, up to the local government level,” he said.

Beyond local government autonomy, the President also tasked the governors to rally behind the proposed establishment of state police, describing it as a key component of his administration’s security reform agenda.

Tinubu disclosed that he had assured international partners of Nigeria’s determination to make state policing work, expressing confidence in the APC’s capacity to deliver the reform.

“I had a very long discussion with the US and Europeans. I was bragging to them that we will definitely pass the state police to improve security,” he said.

According to him, when doubts were raised about the feasibility of the reform, he pointed to the ruling party’s numerical strength nationwide.

“They asked me if I’m confident, and I said yes. I have a party to attend. I have a party that will make it happen, and if at this level we fail—God forbid—we will not fail,” Tinubu added.

The President emphasised that reconciliation, accommodation and cooperation within the party were crucial to translating its majority status into effective governance.

“I think the reconciliation, the accommodation, the flexibility, is in your hands, all of you, and we are the majority, we are the leaders,” he said.

In his remarks, Senate President Godswill Akpabio commended Tinubu’s leadership on national security, particularly the recent rescue of over 100 abducted children.

Akpabio pledged the Senate’s full support for stricter legislative measures against kidnapping and banditry, praising the security agencies and sympathising with families of victims and fallen personnel.

He also linked Nigeria’s internal security to stability in neighbouring countries, applauding Tinubu’s diplomatic intervention in the Benin Republic to safeguard democracy, and noting that the Senate had already commended the President’s regional engagement in a plenary session.

On legislation, Akpabio disclosed that the Senate had passed a bill classifying kidnapping as terrorism, which would attract the death penalty upon presidential assent. He urged governors to enforce capital punishment where applicable, warning that failure to do so could embolden criminals.

The Senate President welcomed governors who recently defected to the APC and urged unity within the party, expressing confidence that cohesion would translate into electoral success in 2027.

In his welcome address, APC National Chairman Professor Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda stated that the party had experienced significant growth following a wave of defections and had increased its dominance in the National Assembly.

Yilwatda said the APC now enjoys a commanding majority nationwide, citing the defection of governors from opposition parties and the party’s strengthened position in both chambers of the National Assembly.

He also outlined ongoing party reforms, including the rollout of an electronic membership registration system, preparations for future congresses, acquisition of land for a new national secretariat in Abuja, and progress towards the 2026 FCT local government elections.

The caucus meeting attracted a large gathering of party leaders, including APC governors, members of the National Working Committee, principal officers of the National Assembly and party elders.

Also present were several governors who recently defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), a development widely seen as signalling a widening political realignment in favour of the ruling party.

The APC National Caucus is a statutory organ of the party, comprising its most senior elected and appointed officials, and is responsible for deliberating on governance, policy direction and party cohesion.