LG Autonomy: Break Your Silence, Commend Tinubu – Presidency Tackles Peter Obi

The presidency has criticized Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, for remaining silent on the Supreme Court's ruling that grants financial autonomy to local governments.

President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, charged Obi to act like Atiku Abubakar by commenting on the epochal judgement and admitting that the president is making Nigeria great.

Posting on his X page, Onanuga said a good opposition should be able to commend its opponent.

He wrote: “Why is Peter Obi silent?

“More than 36 hours after the Supreme Court gave a landmark ruling, granting financial autonomy to Nigeria’s 774 local councils, Mr. Peter Obi, the defeated Labour Party candidate, has yet to utter a word on the epochal judgment.

“His silence confirms the belief that he is always quick to tweet unverified news about the Tinubu administration or our country.

“A good opposition statesman must be candid enough to applaud his political opponent when he has done some great deed. The Tinubu administration has succeeded in giving life back to our emasculated councils, using the instrumentality of the law.

“Even Atiku Abubakar has grudgingly admitted this. But Peter has been silent. He should break his silence and acknowledge that President Tinubu is making a great Nigeria possible.”

On Thursday, the Supreme Court ruled that all federal funds for local government councils should be paid directly into their accounts.

Justice Emmanuel Agim, who led a seven-member panel of justices, delivered the judgment in a suit filed by the federal government against the 36 state governors.

The court also prohibited the governors from receiving, tampering with, or withholding funds meant for local governments.

Furthermore, the court barred the governors from dissolving democratically elected officials for local governments and deemed such actions a breach of the 1999 Constitution.