Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticised President Bola Tinubu over the ₦22.15 billion allocated in the 2026 budget for the construction and renovation of 106 traditional rulers’ palaces, describing the expenditure as unconstitutional and lacking transparency.
In a statement issued on Thursday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the former presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) argued that the Federal Government has no constitutional responsibility to build or renovate palaces for traditional rulers.
According to Atiku, matters relating to traditional institutions fall under the authority of state and local governments, not the Federal Government.
“President Tinubu swore an oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution, not to amend it through the Appropriation Act,” Atiku said.
He questioned the constitutional basis for the allocation, asking under which provision of the 1999 Constitution the Federal Government could spend public funds on projects meant for traditional institutions.
Atiku maintained that the Constitution only recognises traditional institutions in an advisory capacity through state Councils of Chiefs, leaving their administration and funding to state governments.
He also criticised the Federal Government for failing to disclose the identities of the traditional rulers, the locations of the proposed palace projects and the amount allocated to each one.
“The constitutional breach is compounded by the refusal of the Federal Government to disclose the identities of the traditional rulers, the locations of the projects and the communities where the palaces are located,” he said.
The former vice president warned that the secrecy surrounding the allocations raises concerns that the projects could become channels for corruption.
He stressed that traditional rulers deserve respect and should not be used to justify what he described as 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,” Atiku stated.
He called on the Presidency, the Budget Office and relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to immediately publish the full list of the 106 palace projects, their locations, individual allocations, the constitutional basis for the expenditure and details of the procurement process.
