Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has issued a strong warning to state governors across the country, declaring that he may sign an Executive Order to enforce direct financial allocations to local governments if states continue to resist a binding ruling of Nigeria’s highest court.
The President spoke on Friday, December 19, 2025, during the 15th National Executive Committee meeting of the All Progressives Congress, Nigeria’s ruling political party, held at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja, Nigeria’s federal capital. The meeting was attended by state governors, members of the party’s National Working Committee, and other senior political leaders.
President Tinubu’s comments came amid growing concerns that many state governments are still withholding funds meant for local councils, despite a landmark judgment by the Supreme Court of Nigeria, the country’s highest judicial authority. According to the President, continued disobedience of the ruling could force the Federal Government to take direct action through the Federation Account Allocation Committee, the constitutional body responsible for sharing national revenue among federal, state, and local governments. Okay News reports that the warning signals a possible escalation in the long-running dispute over local government autonomy.
Addressing party leaders, the President said, “The Supreme Court has capped it for you again, saying, ‘give them their money directly.’ If you wait for my Executive Order, because I have the knife, I have the yam, I will cut it.”
In further remarks that underscored his frustration, Tinubu added, “I’m just being very respectful and understanding with my governors. Otherwise, if you don’t start to implement it, fact after fact, you will see.”
The President’s position follows a July 11, 2024, unanimous judgment by a seven-member panel of the Supreme Court, which ruled in favour of the Federal Government in a suit seeking to guarantee financial independence for Nigeria’s 774 local government councils. The court declared it unconstitutional for state governments to retain, control, or manage funds allocated to local governments.
The apex court further ordered that funds from the Federation Account must be paid directly to local governments, as provided under Section 162, Subsections Five to Eight, of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution, as amended. Despite this clear constitutional provision, many states have continued to operate joint accounts that effectively limit the autonomy of local councils.
Reiterating his stance, President Tinubu stressed that compliance with the judgment was not optional. “The ultimate goal is our Supreme Court. We have to comply. We have to respect the judgment,” he said, while warning that persistent violations could invite federal intervention.
