Godswill Akpabio, president of the Senate, and Tajudeen Abbas, speaker of the House of Representatives, have been sued for "the unlawful plan to spend N40 billion on 465 exotic and bulletproof cars for members and principal officials, and N70 billion as 'palliatives' for new members."
The lawsuit was filed on Friday, August 11, 2023, in the Federal High Court in Lagos by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP).
The lawsuit was filed shortly after Mr. Akpabio claimed that the Clerk of the National Assembly had transferred "holiday allowances" into "different bank accounts of senators." Nigeria's 137 million people live in abject poverty.
SERAP is requesting "an order of mandamus to direct and compel Mr. Akpabio and Mr. Akpabio to: review and mitigate the N 40b price for 465 bulletproof cars
SERAP is seeking: “an order restraining Mr Akpabio and Mr Abbas from demanding or receiving the N40 billion to buy 465 SUVs and bulletproof cars for members and principal officials until an assessment of the socio-economic impact of the spending on the 137 million poor Nigerians is carried out in the public interest.”
The suit was filed by Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) on Friday, August 11, 2023, at the Federal High Court in Lagos.
The suit is coming on the heels of the statement by Mr Akpabio that the Clerk of the National Assembly had sent “holiday allowances” into the “various bank accounts of senators”. Some 137 million Nigerians face extreme poverty.
In the suit number FHC/L/CS/1606/2023, SERAP is seeking: “an order of mandamus to direct and compel Mr Akpabio and Mr Abbas to review and reduce the N40 billion budgeted to buy 465 Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) and bulletproof cars for members and principal officials.”
SERAP is seeking: “an order restraining Mr Akpabio and Mr Abbas from demanding or receiving the N40 billion to buy 465 SUVs and bulletproof cars for members and principal officials until an assessment of the socio-economic impact of the spending on the 137 million poor Nigerians is carried out in the public interest.”
Along with that, SERAP is requesting "an order of mandamus to direct and compel Mr. Akpabio and Mr. Abbas to repeal the Supplementary Appropriation Act 2022 to reduce the budget for the National Assembly by N110bn to reflect the current economic realities in the country."
SERAP's legal defence in the lawsuit is that "Nigerians have a right to honest and faithful performance by their public officials, including lawmakers, as public officials owe a fiduciary duty to the general citizenry."
According to SERAP, "the lawmakers will spend the N110 billion, and the travesty, and apparent conflicts of interest and self-dealing by members of the National Assembly would continue" if the reliefs requested are not granted.
In addition, SERAP claims that "it is a fundamental breach of their fiduciary duties for members of the National Assembly to arbitrarily increase their own budget and to use the budget as a tool to satisfy the lifestyle of lawmakers."
"The National Assembly budget may be increased further as members are reportedly demanding an increase in their pay and benefits to partially make up for the loss of the fuel subsidy," according to the newspaper.
"The security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government," the Nigerian Constitution of 1999 [as amended] states in Section 14(2)(b).
The National Assembly is required under Section 16(1)(a)(b) to "secure the maximum welfare, freedom, and happiness of every citizen" and to "harness the resources of the nation and promote national prosperity and an efficient, a dynamic, and self-reliant economy."
"Cutting the N110 billion from the National Assembly budget would be entirely consistent with members' constitutional oath of office, as well as the letter and spirit of the Nigerian Constitution, as it would promote efficient, honest, and legal spending of public money."
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