Sola Adeyemo 
Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Femi Falana has insisted that President Bola Tinubu does not need an executive order to implement the Supreme Court ruling granting financial autonomy to local governments, emphasizing that compliance is the responsibility of state governments.
Falana made this statement during an exclusive interview on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese, Ijebu, on Tuesday.
The remarks came in response to President Tinubu’s warning at the 15th National Executive Committee meeting of the All Progressives Congress, where he urged governors to comply with the apex court ruling or face a possible executive order mandating direct disbursement of funds to local councils.
“The Supreme Court already gave a judgment. What is required is compliance, not another executive action,” Falana said, describing any suggestion of an executive order as unnecessary and potentially counterproductive.
He noted that the Supreme Court had directed the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Accountant-General of the Federation to remit statutory allocations directly to the accounts of the 774 local governments. According to Falana, these accounts were opened last year in compliance with the ruling.
Falana stressed that the real issue is non-compliance by the federal government in remitting the allocations, not defiance by state governments. He cited Section 287 of the Constitution, which mandates all authorities and individuals to obey Supreme Court judgments, warning that continued non-compliance sets “a dangerous precedent in a democracy.”
The legal luminary also called for a transparency framework that allows Nigerians to track public funds at all levels of government. “Statutory allocations to federal, state, and local governments must be published monthly. That way, the public can monitor the movement of funds and hold local governments accountable,” he said.
Recalling history, Falana referenced former President Muhammadu Buhari’s Executive Order 10 of 2020, which was challenged and struck down by the Supreme Court. “This is not about executive orders. What matters now is obeying the Supreme Court judgment and ensuring funds are paid directly to local governments,” he stated.
He dismissed claims that legislative bottlenecks were responsible for delays, reiterating, “In a democracy, once the Supreme Court has spoken, compliance is not optional. Our duty now is to enforce the law, not to threaten, delay, or politicize it.”
