Oborevwori already complying with verdict, says aide
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has accused the President Bola Tinubu-led administration of ignoring a binding judgment of the Supreme Court directing the Federal Government to implement direct allocation of funds to local councils from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC).
 
In a statement shared on his official Facebook page, Atiku said that by July next year, the Tinubu administration would have spent two full years failing to comply with the apex court’s ruling, describing the action as “defiance” rather than mere delay.
 
According to Atiku, the continued non-implementation of the judgment amounts to a calculated political strategy aimed at using obedience to the law as leverage to pressure opposition governors into joining the All Progressives Congress (APC) and to maintain firm control over governors within the ruling party.
 
“This is not a delay. It is defiance,” Atiku stated. “Your refusal to act is a calculated political move, using obedience to the law as a bargaining chip for partisan advantage.”
 
He stressed that Supreme Court judgments are final and not optional, warning that persistent refusal to enforce such rulings constitutes a breach of the Constitution and a violation of the presidential oath of office.
 
The former Vice President lamented that local councils, being the closest tier of government to the people, were bearing the brunt of the Federal Government’s inaction. He argued that withholding financial autonomy from councils is crippling grassroots development, leading to abandoned health centres, unpaid salaries, deteriorating infrastructure, and deepening poverty.
   
He described the development as a contradiction between the administration’s public commitment to local council autonomy and its failure to enforce the court ruling backing that policy.
 
Atiku urged Tinubu to direct the Attorney-General of the Federation to immediately enforce the Supreme Court judgment, insisting that the matter required no executive threats or political manoeuvring.

MEANWHILE, the Director General of the Delta State Bureau for Orientation and Communications, Latimore Oghenesivbe, said Governor Oborevwori has been implementing local council financial autonomy even before the apex court delivered its verdict.  Oghenesivbe spoke during a public affairs programme, where he said Oborevwori had long been an advocate of council autonomy.

He said immediately after the inauguration of the 25 elected council chairmen in 2024, the governor released all outstanding funds owed to the councils, which had been held under the joint account system.

Oghenesivbe said recent comments by the President expressing concern over alleged non-compliance by some governors with the Supreme Court ruling do not apply to Delta State.
 
He added that the governor would continue to respect lawful directives and final court judgments in the governance process. Oghenesivbe said the governor remains committed to constitutional compliance and the enforcement of laws that promote accountability, transparency, equity, and good governance.