The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has initiated a lawsuit against the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Tajudeen Abbas. This legal action is based on their failure to disclose, clarify, and explain the details of the N344.85 billion National Assembly budget, with specific scrutiny on budget items like the N6 billion allocated for two car parks.
The suit, numbered FHC/ABJ/CS/178/2024, was filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja, seeking an order of mandamus to compel Akpabio and Abbas to provide transparency on the National Assembly budget and its allocation, including the N8.5 billion for ‘National Assembly liabilities’ and the N3 billion each for the ‘Senate Car Park’ and ‘House of Representatives Car Park’ as outlined in the Appropriation Act 2024.
According to SERAP, the lack of transparency in the spending of the N344.85 billion National Assembly budget could have adverse effects on the fundamental rights and interests of citizens and the public. The organization, represented by its lawyers Kolawole Oluwadare and Andrew Nwankwo, emphasized the importance of public access to such details to serve as a crucial check on the activities of lawmakers, prevent abuse of public trust, and improve public trust.
SERAP argued that revealing, clarifying, and explaining the details of the National Assembly budget would enhance public trust, enable Nigerians to track and monitor spending, assess budget justifications, and hold lawmakers accountable in cases of mismanagement and corruption. Ultimately, this level of transparency would ensure that lawmakers are answerable to the people for the performance of their duties.
As of now, no specific date has been set for the hearing of the lawsuit.
