Former Vice President and Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has strongly criticised the Federal Government’s allocation of N22.15 billion for the construction and renovation of 106 palaces in the 2026 Appropriation Act.
In a statement issued on Thursday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku described the expenditure as unconstitutional and accused President Bola Tinubu of attempting to assume powers not granted by the 1999 Constitution.
Atiku argued that the Constitution does not assign the Federal Government responsibility for funding or maintaining traditional palaces, stating that such matters fall under the jurisdiction of state and local governments.
“President Tinubu swore an oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution, not to amend it through the Appropriation Act,” the statement quoted Atiku as saying. “Traditional institutions are matters within the constitutional competence of state and local governments. A federal budget cannot lawfully be used to
