President Bola Tinubu has issued a warning to state governors that if they do not comply with a recent Supreme Court verdict affirming Nigeria’s third tier of government’s financial autonomy, he may be obliged to issue an executive order enforcing direct local government allocations.
Tinubu issued the warning on Friday during the 15th National Executive Committee meeting of the All Progressives Congress at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja.
Tinubu made a veiled but sharp remark about governors retaining statutory allocations meant for local councils, warning that noncompliance could compel him to transfer monies directly from the Federation Account Allocation Committee.
Addressing the NEC members, including governors, National Working Committee members, and other party leaders, Tinubu said, “The Supreme Court has capped it for you again, saying, ‘Give them their money directly.’ If you wait for my executive order, because I have the knife, I have the yam, and I will cut it.”
“I’m just being very respectful and understanding with my governors. Otherwise, if you don’t start to implement it, fact after fact, you will see,” Tinubu continued.
Tinubu’s words came after the Supreme Court issued a momentous decision on July 11, 2024, in favor of the Federal Government’s claim to enforce financial independence for local governments.
In a unanimous decision, a seven-member panel of the Supreme Court ruled that state governments cannot keep or administer monies designated for local councils.
The court ordered direct payment of allocations from the Federation Account to local governments, a process authorized under Section 162(5-8) of the 1999 Constitution (as modified) but routinely ignored by most state governments through joint accounts.
In his remarks, Tinubu emphasized the importance of governors complying, warning that further infractions could result in federal intervention.
“The ultimate goal is our Supreme Court. We have to comply. We have to respect the judgment,” he insisted.
