Former Vice President and Presidential Candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has described the allocation of ₦22.15 billion in the 2026 Appropriation Act for the construction and renovation of 106 palaces as a “constitutional aberration” and a “blank cheque for corruption.”
In a statement issued on Tuesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku argued that the move is an illegal attempt by the Tinubu administration to rewrite the Nigerian Constitution through the national budget.
Atiku maintained that the 1999 Constitution does not confer any executive responsibility over traditional institutions to the Federal Government. He noted that such matters fall strictly within 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 read. “Traditional institutions are matters within the constitutional competence of states. A federal budget cannot lawfully be used to assume responsibilities that the Constitution has assigned elsewhere.”
He challenged the President to state the specific constitutional provision that allows the Federal Government to appropriate billions from the Federation Account for royal palaces.
The former Vice President expressed concern over the “shrouded” nature of the projects, noting that the identities and locations of the 106 palaces have not been disclosed to the public.
“Every road, school, and hospital in the national budget carries a location. Why are these projects hidden?” Atiku asked. “The refusal to identify the beneficiaries leaves Nigerians with only one conclusion—that this is an elaborate conduit for siphoning public funds. If these projects are genuine, the government should publish the names of the palaces, their locations, and the contractors involved.”
Linking the expenditure to the country’s current economic crisis, Atiku lamented that the administration appears to prioritize “politically convenient projects” over the welfare of the people.
He noted that despite trillions of naira being appropriated since 2023, the standard of living for Nigerians has continued to plummet. “Hunger has deepened, inflation remains crushing, and industries are shutting down. Fiscal appropriations under this administration appear to have elevated official corruption above public service,” he said.
While clarifying that his statement was not an attack on traditional rulers, Atiku urged the Presidency and the Budget Office to immediately publish the full details of the 106 palace projects, including the procurement process.
“The national treasury is not a private vault, and the Appropriation Act is not a license to suspend the Constitution,” Atiku concluded. “No government can claim to uphold the rule of law while appropriating public funds for projects it cannot constitutionally undertake.”
