The presidency has called out Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, for his silence regarding the Supreme Court’s recent judgment granting financial autonomy to local governments.
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, urged Obi to follow Atiku Abubakar’s example by commenting on what he termed an “epochal judgment” and acknowledging the president’s efforts to improve Nigeria.
In a post on his X (formerly Twitter) account, Onanuga stated, “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.”
Onanuga criticized Obi’s silence, noting that over 36 hours had passed since the Supreme Court ruling without any comment from the former presidential candidate.
He suggested this silence contradicts Obi’s usual quick responses to unverified news about the Tinubu administration or the country.
The Supreme Court’s ruling, delivered on Thursday by a seven-member panel led by Justice Emmanuel Agim, mandates that all federal funds for local government councils be paid directly into their accounts.
The judgment also prohibits state governors from interfering with or withholding these funds.
Additionally, the court barred governors from dissolving democratically elected local government officials, deeming such actions unconstitutional.
The presidency views this ruling as a significant step towards empowering local governments and calls on opposition figures to recognize its importance in Nigeria’s democratic development.
