Presidency Lashes Peter Obi Over Silence On LG Autonomy

By Akinwale Kasali

The silence of Peter Obi,  Labour Party, LP, Presidential Candidate in the 2023 Presidential Election over the Landmark Judgment by the Supreme Court judgement on the Local Government Financial Autonomy has been criticized by the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Government.

Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Information and Strategy, said that Obi’s silence over 36 hours after the Supreme Court’s ruling is deafening.

Onanuga said Obi’s quickness to tweet unverified news about the Tinubu administration or our Country is well-known, but his failure to acknowledge this epochal judgment is telling.

Onanuga said that a good opposition statesman should be willing to praise their political opponent when they have achieved something significant.

“The Tinubu administration has successfully given life back to our emasculated Councils through the law.”

He added that even former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, who often times criticized policies of this present administration has acknowledged this landmark judgment,  but Obi remained silent.

Onanuga said, “He should break his silence and acknowledge that President Tinubu is making a great Nigeria possible.”

The Presidency’s criticism comes after the Supreme Court’s ruling, which granted financial autonomy to Nigeria’s 774 Local Councils.

The landmark judgment by the Supreme Court barred Governors from dissolving democratically elected Local Government Councils, stating that doing so would breach the 1999 Constitution.

The judgment also ruled that only democratically elected Local Government administrations, not Caretaker Committees, are entitled to manage their funds.