Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s administration over the allocation of ₦22.15 billion for the construction and renovation of 106 palaces for traditional rulers.
Atiku described the expenditure as a constitutional violation, arguing that the Federal Government has no constitutional responsibility to fund the construction or renovation of traditional rulers’ palaces.
In a statement issued on Thursday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the former vice-president said the Constitution clearly defines the responsibilities of the different levels of government and does not place traditional institutions under the Federal Government.
“President Tinubu swore an oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution, not to amend it through the Appropriation Act. Traditional institutions are matters within the constitutional competence of state and local governments. A federal budget cannot lawfully be used to assume responsibilities that the Constitution has assigned elsewhere,” he said.
Atiku questioned the constitutional basis for the Federal Government’s decision to appropriate ₦22.15 billion from the Federation Account for the projects.
“Under which provision of the Constitution is the Federal Government appropriating ₦22.15 billion from the Federation Account for the construction and renovation of 106 palaces? Which Constitution is President Tinubu operating?”
He argued that the 1999 Constitution does not assign the Federal Government any executive responsibility for the establishment, administration or funding of traditional institutions.
“The 1999 Constitution did not establish, fund or assign any executive responsibility over traditional institutions to the Federal Government. Indeed, its only reference to traditional institutions is in the Third Schedule, Part II, where it merely permits states to establish a Council of Chiefs to advise their governors on chieftaincy and customary law matters. Beyond this limited advisory role, the Constitution leaves the creation, administration and funding of traditional institutions to state governments and the laws enacted by their respective Houses of Assembly. President Tinubu cannot, by the instrument of an Appropriation Act, assume powers that the Constitution deliberately withheld from the Federal Government,” he said.
Atiku further criticised the government for failing to disclose the identities of the traditional rulers, the locations of the projects and the communities where the palaces are situated.
He said the lack of transparency surrounding the allocations could create room for corruption and raise questions about whether the projects exist beyond the budget documents.
According to him, even the traditional rulers for whom the funds were appropriated may not ultimately benefit from the projects.
Atiku said the national budget should reflect not only the government’s financial priorities but also its moral and constitutional obligations.
“Our royal fathers deserve dignity and respect. They must not be used as unwilling instruments to legitimise opaque and constitutionally questionable budgetary allocations. If this administration truly respects the traditional institution, it should stop hiding behind it,” he said.
He called on the Presidency, the Budget Office and relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to publish the full list of the 106 palaces, their locations, the amount allocated to each project, the constitutional basis for the expenditure and details of the procurement process.
“The national treasury is not a Bourdillon-based private vault, and the Appropriation Act is not a license to suspend the Constitution. No government can claim to uphold the rule of law while appropriating public funds for projects it cannot constitutionally undertake and whose beneficiaries it refuses to identify,” he declared.