President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has issued a stern warning to state governors, declaring that his administration would not hesitate to utilize executive powers to enforce direct funding for local governments if states continue to disregard a binding Supreme Court judgment on council autonomy.
The President spoke on Friday, December 19, 2025, at the 15th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) held at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja, where governors, members of the party’s National Working Committee, and other senior figures were in attendance.
In unusually forthright language, Tinubu accused state governments of frustrating the financial independence of local councils by withholding statutory allocations meant for grassroots administration.
He cautioned that continued defiance of the apex court’s ruling could compel him to authorise direct disbursement of local government funds from the Federation Account.
The president said, “The Supreme Court has settled it once again: give them their money directly. If you wait for my Executive Order, because I have the knife and I have the yam, I will cut it. I am only being respectful and understanding with my governors. Otherwise, if you refuse to implement this, you will see the consequences, step by step.”
Tinubu’s warning follows a landmark judgment delivered by the Supreme Court on July 11, 2024, in which the court upheld the Federal Government’s suit seeking to enforce full financial autonomy for Nigeria’s 774 local government councils.
In a unanimous decision, a seven-man panel of justices ruled that it is unconstitutional for state governments to retain, control or administer funds allocated to local councils.
The court directed that allocations from the Federation Account must be paid directly to local governments, in line with Sections 162(5)–(8) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
For decades, most states have operated joint state–local government accounts, a system the court described as illegal and contrary to the spirit and letter of the Constitution.
Reiterating his administration’s stance, Tinubu stressed that compliance with the judgment was not optional and warned against further violations.
“The ultimate authority is the Supreme Court,” he said. “We must comply. We must respect the judgment.”
The President’s remarks signal a tougher federal posture on local government autonomy, a long-standing reform demand seen as critical to strengthening governance and development at the grassroots.
