From Victor Osula, Abuja
Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has faulted President Bola Tinubu’s decision to allocate ₦22.15 billion in the 2026 Appropriation Act for the construction and renovation of 106 traditional rulers’ palaces
Atiku described the allocation as a constitutional violation and another example of what he called the Tinubu administration’s growing culture of opaque budgeting.
He insisted that the Federal Government has no constitutional responsibility for funding or renovating traditional institutions.
The latest criticism comes amid Atiku’s sustained scrutiny of the 2026 federal budget. In recent days, the former vice president has challenged the sharp increase in the Service-Wide Vote, criticised allocations for religious projects and the Presidential Villa, and accused the administration of embedding questionable expenditures in the budget at a time millions of Nigerians are struggling with worsening economic conditions.
His latest position was contained in a statement issued on Thursday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu.
According to Atiku, the 1999 Constitution clearly defines the responsibilities of each tier of government and does not assign the construction or renovation of palaces belonging to traditional institutions to the Federal Government.
He argued that President Tinubu’s oath of office obliges him to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution rather than expand federal powers through the Appropriation Act.
“The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is clear and 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,” the statement said.
Atiku maintained that traditional institutions remain matters within the constitutional competence of state and local governments.
He questioned the legal basis for appropriating ₦22.15 billion from the Federation Account for palace projects.
“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?” he asked.
The former vice president noted that the only constitutional reference to traditional institutions appears in the Third Schedule, Part II of the Constitution, which merely permits states to establish Councils of Chiefs to advise governors on chieftaincy and customary law matters.
According to him, the Constitution deliberately leaves the creation, administration, and funding of traditional institutions to state governments and their respective Houses of Assembly.
Beyond the constitutional issues, Atiku criticised what he described as the secrecy surrounding the allocations.
He argued that while roads, schools, hospitals, and constituency projects in the national budget are usually accompanied by specific locations and beneficiaries, no such details have been provided for the 106 palace projects.
He challenged the Presidency, the Budget Office, and relevant Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to immediately publish the names of all beneficiary palaces, their traditional rulers, host communities, allocations, implementing agencies, contractors, and procurement procedures.
According to him, the absence of such information raises legitimate concerns that the projects could serve as channels for diverting public funds.
“Government wants Nigerians to approve ₦22.15 billion for 106 palace projects, yet it cannot identify the beneficiaries or tell the nation where those palaces are located.
“Every road, school, hospital, and constituency project in the national budget carries a location. Why are these projects hidden? That is not budgeting; it is writing a blank cheque for corruption,” Atiku stated.
He added that the secrecy surrounding the projects creates the impression that some of the allocations may exist only on paper and that even the traditional rulers in whose names the funds were appropriated may never benefit from the expenditure.
Atiku argued that the national budget should serve as both a constitutional and moral document reflecting the genuine priorities of government.
He alleged that the Tinubu administration has continued to prioritise politically convenient projects over investments capable of improving the welfare of ordinary Nigerians.
According to him, despite trillions of naira appropriated since 2023, Nigerians continue to face rising inflation, widespread hunger, worsening insecurity, declining purchasing power, business closures, and deteriorating living standards.
He insisted that public resources should be directed toward addressing these pressing national challenges rather than funding projects whose constitutional basis remains disputed.
The former vice president stressed that his criticism was not directed at Nigeria’s traditional institutions or royal fathers. Rather, he said traditional rulers deserve dignity and should not be used to legitimise what he described as opaque and constitutionally questionable budgetary allocations.
Atiku therefore called on the Presidency, the Budget Office of the Federation, and all relevant MDAs to publish the complete list of the 106 palaces, their locations, individual project costs, implementing agencies, constitutional basis for the expenditure and procurement processes for the contracts.
Noting that the Appropriation Act cannot be used to confer powers not granted by the Constitution, the Turaki Adamawa said:
“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.”
The Presidency had yet to respond to the allegations as of the time of filing this report.
