Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has faulted the Bola Tinubu administration over the allocation of ₦22.15 billion for the construction and renovation of 106 traditional rulers’ palaces in the 2026 Appropriation Act, describing the expenditure as unconstitutional and a potential avenue for corruption.
In a statement issued on Thursday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the former Vice President argued that the Federal Government has no constitutional mandate to fund traditional institutions, insisting that such responsibilities belong exclusively to state and local governments.
According to Atiku, President Tinubu’s decision to include the projects in the federal budget violates the provisions of the 1999 Constitution.
“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.
Questioning the legal basis for the allocation, Atiku asked under what constitutional provision the Federal Government appropriated ₦22.15 billion from the Federation Account for palace projects.
“Which Constitution is President Tinubu operating?” he queried.
The former Vice President maintained that the Constitution neither establishes nor assigns any executive responsibility over traditional institutions to the Federal Government.
He explained that the only constitutional reference to traditional institutions is contained in the Third Schedule, Part II of the 1999 Constitution, which allows states to establish Councils of Chiefs to advise governors on chieftaincy and customary law matters.
According to him, the Constitution clearly leaves the creation, administration and funding of traditional institutions to state governments and 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,” Atiku stated.
He further criticised the Federal Government for failing to disclose the identities of the traditional rulers, the locations of the proposed palace projects and the amount allocated to each, describing the lack of transparency as a “blank cheque for corruption.”
Atiku said the secrecy surrounding the projects raises legitimate concerns that the allocations may exist only on paper and that the traditional rulers in whose names the funds were budgeted may never benefit from them.
He stressed that the national budget should reflect constitutional principles and the genuine priorities of government.
“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.
The ADC presidential candidate called on the Presidency, the Budget Office and all relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies to immediately publish the full list of the 106 palace projects, their locations, the amount allocated to each, 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 licence 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 added.
