Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has sued the National Assembly for failure to account for over N21 million monthly running cost of each member. It also sued Godswill Akpabio, the Senate President and Tajudeen Abbas, the Speaker of House of Representatives, for “the failure to end the apparently unlawful practice by the National Assembly of fixing its allowances and running costs, and the failure to account for the monthly running costs paid to members.” The suit, number FHC/ABJ/CS/1289/2024, was filed last Friday at the Federal High Court in Abuja. It was filed on behalf of SERAP by its lawyers, Kolawole Oluwadare, Andrew Nwankwo, and Ms Blessing Ogwuche. In the suit, 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.”
SERAP is seeking “an order of mandamus to direct and compel Mr Akpabio and Mr Abbas to end the apparently unlawful practice of the National Assembly fixing its remuneration and allowances termed as ‘running cost’.” It is also seeking: “an order of mandamus to direct and compel Mr Akpabio and Mr Abbas to disclose the exact amount of the monthly running costs being paid to and received by the lawmakers, and the spending details of any such running costs. An order of mandamus to direct and compel Mr Akpabio and Mr Abbas to end the alleged practice of paying remuneration and allowances termed as ‘running costs’ into the personal accounts of lawmakers.” SERAP argues that: “The provisions of paragraph N, Section 32(d) of the Third Schedule to the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended] clearly make it unlawful for the National Assembly to fix its salaries, allowances and running costs.” SERAP also argues that: “the alleged practice of paying running costs into the personal accounts of lawmakers is a fundamental breach of Rule 713 of the Federal Government Financial Regulations, which provides that ‘public money shall not be paid into a private bank account.’”
According to SERAP, “‘Public function’ means activities in the public interest, not against it. The reports that lawmakers are fixing their own salaries, allowances and running costs amount to private self-interest or self-dealing. It is also detrimental to the public interest.” SERAP said, “The constitutional oath of office of lawmakers requires them to ensure transparency and accountability in the exact amounts of salaries, allowances and running costs they receive.” SERAP is also arguing that, “The allegations that lawmakers are fixing their own salaries, allowances and running costs are entirely inconsistent and incompatible with the constitutional oath of office and the object and purpose of the UN Convention against Corruption to which Nigeria is a state party.” No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.
