According to a report by Vanguard, on Thursday July 23, 2026, Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has criticized President Bola Tinubu over the allocation of ₦22.15 billion for the construction and renovation of 106 traditional rulers’ palaces in the 2026 budget.
Atiku, through a statement issued on Thursday by his media aide, Phrank Shaibu, argued that the Federal Government has no constitutional responsibility to fund palace projects for traditional institutions, he said such matters fall under the authority of state and local governments, not the federal administration.
According to the former vice president, Nigeria’s Constitution clearly outlines the responsibilities of different levels of government, he maintained that traditional institutions are largely managed and funded by states, and that the Federal Government should not use public funds for projects that are outside its constitutional powers.
Atiku questioned the legal basis for the allocation, asking why billions of naira were included in the national budget for palace projects when there is no specific constitutional provision empowering the Federal Government to undertake such works.
He raised concerns about transparency surrounding the allocation, according to him, the government has not publicly identified the traditional rulers involved, the locations of the palaces, or the exact distribution of the funds among the projects.
The ADC candidate warned that the lack of details could create room for misuse of public resources, he said Nigerians deserve to know where the money is going and how the projects were selected.
“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 law is President Tinubu operating?” he said…See_More
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