The Labour Party (LP) has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately sign an Executive Order enforcing local government autonomy, warning that continued delays amount to a betrayal of the Supreme Court and grassroots Nigerians.
The party, in a statement by Dr Arabambi Abayomi, national vice chairman (South West), accused state governors of persistently undermining local government autonomy despite Supreme Court’s July 11, 2024 judgement mandating direct allocation of funds from the Federation Account to local government councils.
The LP stated that while President Tinubu had publicly acknowledged the need for an Executive Order to compel compliance with the ruling, no concrete action had followed, allowing governors to continue what it described as “willful and unconstitutional interference” in local government finances.
According to the party, the apex court judgement, which abolished the use of the State Joint Local Government Account, was a landmark victory for democracy and grassroots development, but has been treated with “open disdain,” particularly by governors of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The party singled out Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun, referencing a recent presentation of vehicles to local government chairmen in the state, arguing that the gesture exposed deeper issues of financial opacity.
“If local government chairmen are truly receiving their full, constitutionally guaranteed allocations, why should they depend on the governor for basic operational resources?” the party queried, describing the practice as a system designed to keep councils subservient to state governments rather than being accountable to the electorate.
The LP stated that such arrangements breed corruption, weaken local initiatives and replace transparent procurement with patronage, thereby stifling development at the grassroots.
The party urged President Tinubu to move beyond rhetoric and immediately direct the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation to remit all local government allocations directly to the accounts of duly elected councils.
“The president’s admission that he holds ‘the knife and the yam’ must now translate into a decisive action,” the statement noted, adding that further delay would amount to an affront to the Supreme Court.
The Labour Party also warned Governor Abiodun and other governors allegedly withholding local government funds to desist immediately, threatening comprehensive forensic probes into local government finances by future LP administrations.
