***Atiku, CUPP raise alarm, accuse FG, NASS of misplacing priority

*** ₦780m church money meant for my Constituency aimed at curbing youthful vices

By Tony Chuddy

As the 2026 budget appropriations continue to face serious scrutiny, the federal government and the National Assembly have come under serious criticism over the alleged insertion of what the opposition and other groups have described as fictitious funds to some sections of the country in the budget.

This is as further scrutiny has revealed that the federal government allocated about N22.15 billion naira for the renovation of 106 palaces of Nigerian traditional rulers, just as about N1 billion was said to have been inserted for the purchase of musical instruments for some Nigerian churches, as well as over N8 billion for the construction and rehabilitation of mosques and churches across the country.

Reacting to the allocations, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, berated President Bola Tinubu for alleged misplacement of priority in the budget.

The former vice president said the federal government has no constitutional business funding the construction and renovation of palaces for traditional rulers, describing the ₦22.15 billion allocated for 106 such projects in the 2026 Appropriation Act as a constitutional aberration and an instrument for illegality and official corruption.

Atiku in a statement issued on Thursday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, noted that the president took an oath of office and swore to protect Nigeria’s constitution, which he argued has remained unambiguous on the distribution of governmental responsibilities and does not confer on the federal government the powers to construct or renovate palaces belonging to traditional institutions.

He said, “President Tinubu swore an oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution, not to amend it through the Appropriation Act. 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.

“Under which provision of the Constitution is the Federal Government appropriating ₦22.15 billion from the Federation Account for the construction and renovation of 106 palaces? Which Constitution is President Tinubu operating?”

“The 1999 Constitution did not establish, fund or assign any executive responsibility over traditional institutions to the Federal Government. Indeed, its only reference to traditional institutions is in the Third Schedule, Part II, where it merely permits states to establish a Council of Chiefs to advise their governors on chieftaincy and customary law matters. Beyond this limited advisory role, the Constitution leaves the creation, administration and funding of traditional institutions to state governments and the laws enacted by their respective Houses of Assembly. President Tinubu cannot, by the instrument of an Appropriation Act, assume powers that the Constitution deliberately withheld from the Federal Government,” he said.

Atiku noted further that the refusal of the Federal Government to disclose the identities of the traditional rulers, the locations of the projects and the communities where the palaces are located was a breach of the constitution, and a “blank cheque for corruption,” adding that the secrecy surrounding the allocations creates the legitimate suspicion that the projects exist only on paper and that even the traditional rulers in whose names the funds were appropriated may never benefit from them.

“Our royal fathers deserve dignity and respect. They must not be used as unwilling instruments to legitimise opaque and constitutionally questionable budgetary allocations. If this administration truly respects the traditional institution, it should stop hiding behind it.

“The national treasury is not a Bourdillon-based private vault, and the Appropriation Act is not a license to suspend the Constitution. No government can claim to uphold the rule of law while appropriating public funds for projects it cannot constitutionally undertake and whose beneficiaries it refuses to identify,” he declared.

He called on the Presidency, the Budget Office and all relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, to immediately publish the complete list of the 106 palaces, their locations, the amounts allocated to each project, the constitutional basis for the expenditure and the procurement process through which the contracts will be awarded.

In a similar condemnation, the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) rejected the budgetary allocation of ₦22.15 billion for the construction and renovation of palaces in the 2026 budget, describing it as a misplaced priority amid economic challenges facing Nigerians.

National Secretary of CUPP, Peter Ameh, said the allocation for 106 palace projects was inappropriate at a time many citizens were struggling with rising living costs, food insecurity and poverty, describing it as misplacement of priority by the federal government

Ameh argued that government resources should be directed towards programmes with direct impact on citizens, citing the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) introduced during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan as an example of a social intervention programme.

He emphasised that the effectiveness of government spending should be measured by its ability to improve the welfare of ordinary citizens through job creation, support for businesses and development of critical infrastructure.

“Such an approach would ultimately benefit everyone, including our traditional rulers, who would surely prefer to see their subjects empowered and their communities thriving,” he said.

The CUPP secretary described the palace allocation as a misalignment of priorities and urged the government to reconsider its spending plans in favour of initiatives that address pressing economic concerns.

He said government policies should focus on improving the welfare of Nigerians, adding that traditional rulers would also benefit from stronger and more prosperous communities.

Ameh cited Section 14 of the 1999 Constitution, which states that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.

This is even as the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, has defended the ₦780 million provision in the proposed 2026 budget for churches in Bende Federal Constituency, describing it as part of a broader youth re-orientation and social support programme aimed at curbing narcotics abuse, sexual offences and violent crimes among young people.

Kalu made the clarification in response to media reports alleging that ₦1 billion had been inserted into the budget solely for the procurement of musical instruments for churches in Bende, Abia State.

The Deputy Speaker in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Levinus Nwabughiogu, clarified that the actual allocation is ₦780 million after VAT and other tax deductions, adding that it is earmarked for a programme to be delivered through faith-based organisations across the constituency.

The statement explained that Bende Federal Constituency has 13 federal political and electoral wards and over 200 churches, with the first phase of the programme targeting 130 churches — approximately 10 churches per ward.

It noted that each selected church would receive between ₦5 million and ₦6 million to expand existing youth engagement platforms focused on character reform and community outreach.