‘Appropriation Act is not above constitution’ — Atiku questions Tinubu over N22.15bn palace projects

The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has criticised the Federal Government’s allocation of N22.15 billion for the construction and renovation of 106 traditional rulers’ palaces in the 2026 Appropriation Act, describing the expenditure as unconstitutional.

Atiku’s position was contained in a statement released on Thursday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, in response to the inclusion of the palace projects in the federal budget.

The former Vice President argued that the 1999 Constitution does not empower the Federal Government to construct or renovate palaces belonging to traditional institutions, insisting that such responsibilities fall under the purview of state and local governments.

According to him, President Bola Tinubu’s constitutional responsibility is to protect and uphold the Constitution rather than use the budget process to assume powers outside its provisions.

“President Tinubu swore an oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution, not to amend it through the Appropriation Act. Traditional institutions are matters within the constitutional competence of state and local governments. A federal budget cannot lawfully be used to assume responsibilities that the Constitution has assigned elsewhere,” Atiku said.

He questioned the legal basis for the allocation, demanding clarification on the constitutional authority backing the expenditure.

“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.

Atiku maintained that while the Constitution recognises traditional institutions through advisory structures established by states, it does not give the Federal Government the mandate to fund or manage traditional rulers’ palaces.

He also raised concerns over transparency, alleging that the budget did not provide sufficient details on the beneficiaries and locations of the proposed projects.

“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?” he said.

The ADC candidate warned that the lack of information surrounding the projects could create room for abuse of public funds, urging the government to release details of the palaces, traditional rulers involved, locations, contractors, implementing agencies and procurement processes.

“If these projects are genuine, publish the names of the palaces, the traditional rulers, their locations, the implementing agencies and the contractors. The refusal to do so leaves Nigerians with only one conclusion—that this may be another elaborate conduit for siphoning public funds,” he added.

Atiku stressed that his criticism was not targeted at traditional rulers, whom he described as deserving of respect and dignity, but against what he called questionable budgetary allocations.

“Our royal fathers deserve dignity and respect. They must not be used as unwilling instruments to legitimise opaque and constitutionally questionable budgetary allocations,” he said.

He called on the Presidency, the Budget Office and relevant government agencies to publish full details of the projects and provide the constitutional justification for the expenditure.

Atiku said public funds must be managed within the limits of the law, adding that the Appropriation Act should not be used as a means of bypassing constitutional provisions.