The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against Senate President, Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas.
The lawsuit, filed against the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives, challenges the alleged unlawful practice of the National Assembly setting its own allowances and running costs without transparency or accountability.
The lawsuit follows allegations made by former President Olusegun Obasanjo that lawmakers have been fixing their own salaries and allowances, disregarding the recommendations of the Revenue Mobilisation Fiscal Allocation Commission (RMAFC).
In the suit, numbered FHC/ABJ/CS/1289/2024 and filed last Friday at the Federal High Court in Abuja, SERAP was seeking an order to compel Akpabio and Abbas to end the practice of the National Assembly determining its remuneration and allowances, termed as running costs. The organization is also calling for the disclosure of the exact amount of monthly running costs paid to lawmakers and a detailed account of how these funds are spent. SERAP argues that the practice of paying running costs into the personal accounts of lawmakers violates Rule 713 of the Federal Government Financial Regulations, which prohibits the payment of public money into private bank accounts.
The organization further contends that this practice wais a breach of the Nigerian Constitution and the United Nations Convention against Corruption, to which Nigeria is a signatory. The suit also emphasizes the constitutional oath of office taken by lawmakers, which requires them to act transparently and accountably, ensuring that their actions serve the public interest rather than personal gain.
SERAP asserts that the reported practice of lawmakers fixing their own salaries and allowances undermines public trust in the National Assembly and is inconsistent with the principles of good governance.
SERAP is also calling for any misused or mismanaged running costs to be accounted for and returned, arguing that such actions would restore public confidence in democratic institutions and strengthen the rule of law.
The organization was seeking an order to compel Akpabio and Abbas to refer allegations of misuse of running costs to appropriate anti-corruption agencies for investigation and possible prosecution.
The lawsuit highlights the need for public officials, including lawmakers, to uphold the highest standards of integrity and accountability in the management of public resources. It also stresses the importance of transparency in the use of taxpayer money, arguing that Nigerians have a right to scrutinize how their lawmakers spend public funds. The suit filed on behalf of SERAP by its lawyers, Kolawole Oluwadare, Andrew Nwankwo, and Ms Blessing Ogwuche, read in part: Directing and compelling the lawmakers to account for and return any misused or mismanaged running costs they collected would build trust in democratic institutions and strengthen the rule of law.
SERAP is seeking: an order of mandamus to direct and compel Mr Akpabio and Mr Abbas to refer the allegations on the misuse of the running costs received by members to appropriate anticorruption agencies for investigation and prosecution where there is relevant admissible evidence.
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