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African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has pledged to disburse funds meant for Nigeria’s local governments directly, if elected president.
Atiku said the move would be part of his commitment to upholding the rule of law, strengthening local government autonomy and restoring what he described as true federalism in Nigeria.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by his spokesperson, Kenneth Okonkwo, Atiku said his administration would respect the Supreme Court’s judgment on the direct payment of local government funds.
The Nigerian Supreme Court had ruled in July 2024 that allocations meant for local governments should be paid directly to them. Despite this ruling, implementation of the financial autonomy judgment remains stalled, even though N10.48 trillion was allocated to the third tier of government.
Atiku accused the President Bola Tinubu administration of failing to enforce the judgment, alleging that the government was reluctant to confront state governors over their control of local government funds.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
He said direct access to statutory allocations would bring development closer to Nigerians at the grassroots and strengthen local governments’ capacity to tackle insecurity.
Atiku further argued that governance should be guided by legal and constitutional provisions rather than political interests.
“Nigeria must be governed by laws, not by political convenience,” he said.
The Supreme Court’s July 2024 judgment followed a suit filed by the national government against the 36 state governors over the administration and funding of local governments.
The court held that state governments should not control or withhold funds credited to local governments and directed that allocations be paid directly to democratically elected local government councils.
Advocates of local government autonomy widely hailed the judgment, but its implementation has remained contentious, particularly over the status of elected councils in some states and the mechanisms for direct disbursement.
Atiku’s pledge comes as political parties and presidential aspirants position themselves ahead of the 2027 general elections, with local government autonomy remaining a major issue in debates in Nigeria’s federalism.
