Abuja, July 13, 2024 -The presidency has asked Peter Obi, the Presidential Candidate of Labour Party in 2023 elections, not to keep silent on the recent judgment of the Supreme Court which granted financial autonomy to local governments.
Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to the President, urged Obi to act like Atiku Abubakar by commenting on the epochal judgement and admitting that the president is making Nigeria great.
Onanuga made the call on a post on his X page on Saturday.
He said a good opposition should be able to commend its opponent when it had done something great.
He wrote: “Why is Peter Obi silent?
“More than 36 hours after the Supreme Court gave a landmark ruling, granting financial autonomy to Nigeria’s 774 local councils, Mr. Peter Obi, the defeated Labour Party candidate, has yet to utter a word on the epochal judgment.
“His silence confirms the belief that he is always quick to tweet unverified news about the Tinubu administration or our country.
“His silence confirms the belief that he is always quick to tweet unverified news about the Tinubu administration or our country.
“A good opposition statesman must be candid enough to applaud his political opponent when he has done some great deed. The Tinubu administration has succeeded in giving life back to our emasculated councils, using the instrumentality of the law.
“Even Atiku Abubakar has grudgingly admitted this. But Peter has been silent. He should break his silence and acknowledge that President Tinubu is making a great Nigeria possible.”
On Thursday, the Supreme Court ruled that all federal funds for local government councils should be paid directly into their accounts.
Justice Emmanuel Agim, who led a seven-member panel of justices, delivered the judgment in a suit filed by the federal government against the 36 state governors.
The court also prohibited the governors from receiving, tampering with, or withholding funds meant for local governments.
Furthermore, the court barred the governors from dissolving democratically elected officials for local governments and deemed such actions a breach of the 1999 Constitution. (GBN)
