President Bola Tinubu has issued a fresh threat to state governors, warning that he may invoke an Executive Order to enforce direct financial allocations to local governments if states continue to delay the implementation of the Supreme Court judgment affirming financial autonomy for Nigeria’s third tier of government.
The President delivered the warning on Friday during the 15th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja.
In a thinly veiled rebuke of governors accused of withholding statutory allocations meant for local councils, Tinubu cautioned that persistent non-compliance could compel the Federal Government to directly disburse local government funds from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC).
Addressing NEC members, including governors, National Working Committee members and other party leaders, the President 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, I will cut it.”
He added, “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’s remarks come in the wake of the landmark July 11, 2024 judgment of the Supreme Court, which ruled in favour of the Federal Government’s suit seeking to enforce full financial independence for local governments nationwide.
In a unanimous decision, a seven-member panel of the apex court declared it unconstitutional for state governments to retain, control or manage funds allocated to local government councils.
The court consequently ordered the direct payment of allocations from the Federation Account to local governments, as provided for under Section 162(5–8) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), a provision that has been widely flouted through the operation of state–local government joint accounts.
Reiterating the need for strict compliance, Tinubu warned that continued violations could necessitate federal intervention.
“The ultimate goal is our Supreme Court. We have to comply. We have to respect the judgment,” the President insisted.
