Atiku Slams Tinubu: ₦22.15 Billion for Monarch Palaces Is a Constitutional Crime

By Tunde Okoro | July 23, 2026

Nigeria's former Vice President and ADC presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has dropped a bombshell on President Bola Tinubu's administration. He's calling out the ₦22.15 billion allocated for building and renovating 106 traditional rulers' palaces in the 2026 budget as a constitutional violation and a gateway to corruption. Atiku says the federal government has no business spending public funds on something the Constitution clearly leaves to states and local governments.

In a statement released Thursday by his spokesman, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku made it clear: this is not just about money. It's about the rule of law. 'President Tinubu swore an oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution, not to amend it through the Appropriation Act,' he said. 'Traditional institutions are matters within the constitutional competence of state and local governments. A federal budget cannot lawfully be used to assume responsibilities that the Constitution has assigned elsewhere.'

Why Is the Federal Government Funding Palace Projects?

Atiku's question is simple but devastating: Under which constitutional provision is the federal government spending ₦22.15 billion on palaces? He points out that the 1999 Constitution only mentions traditional institutions in the Third Schedule, Part II, allowing states to set up Councils of Chiefs for advisory roles. It does not authorize the federal government to build or fund palaces.

'President Tinubu cannot, by the instrument of an Appropriation Act, assume powers that the Constitution deliberately withheld from the Federal Government,' Atiku declared. He's not mincing words: this is a constitutional breach, plain and simple.

Secrecy Raises Red Flags

But it gets worse. The federal government has refused to name the traditional rulers, the locations of the palaces, or the communities involved. Atiku calls this a blank cheque for corruption. 'The secrecy surrounding the allocations creates the legitimate suspicion that the projects exist only on paper,' he said. 'Even the traditional rulers in whose names the funds were appropriated may never benefit from them.'

For Atiku, a national budget is more than a financial document. It's a moral and constitutional contract with the people. 'Our royal fathers deserve dignity and respect. They must not be used as unwilling instruments to legitimise opaque and constitutionally questionable budgetary allocations,' he said.

Atiku's Demand: Full Transparency Now

Atiku is calling on the Presidency, the Budget Office, and all relevant MDAs to publish the complete list of the 106 palaces, their locations, the amounts allocated, the constitutional basis, and the procurement process. 'The national treasury is not a Bourdillon-based private vault, and the Appropriation Act is not a license to suspend the Constitution,' he fired back.

This is not just politics. It's a battle for the soul of Nigeria's democracy. Atiku is standing up for the Constitution, for transparency, and for the people's money. And he's daring Tinubu to show his hand.

Photo: Vanguard