2027: Atiku Pledges Direct Payment Of LG Funds If Elected

The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Atiku Abubakar, has pledged to ensure direct payment of funds meant for local governments immediately after he is sworn in as President.

Atiku made the pledge in a statement signed by his spokesperson, Kenneth Okonkwo, and posted on X on Tuesday.

The former Vice President said his administration would uphold the rule of law and ensure constitutional independence for all tiers of government, including local governments.

He referenced the Supreme Court judgment of July 2024 on financial autonomy for local governments, accusing the administration of President Bola Tinubu of failing to enforce it.

According to him, the alleged failure was to avoid confrontation with state governors who previously controlled 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.

“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,” the statement partly read.

Atiku alleged that the Tinubu administration’s position was influenced by political considerations ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

He claimed that state governors were being allowed to retain control of local government funds as an incentive to support Tinubu’s re-election bid.

“This is not the Nigeria we should accept,” he stated.

Recall that two years after the Supreme Court ordered direct payment of federal allocations to local councils, implementation of the landmark judgment remains stalled, despite over N10.48 trillion allocated to the third tier of government within the period.