By Omeiza Ajayi
Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress ADC, Atiku Abubakar, has told President Bola Tinubu that his administration has no constitutional business funding the construction and renovation of palaces for traditional rulers, describing the ₦22.15 billion allocated for 106 such projects in the 2026 Appropriation Act as a constitutional aberration and an instrument for illegality and official corruption.
In a statement on Thursday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the former vice president said the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is unambiguous on the distribution of governmental responsibilities and does not confer on the Federal Government the responsibility for constructing or renovating palaces belonging to traditional institutions.
“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.
According to him, the question before Nigerians is straightforward. “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?”
