•Serving, former lawmakers defend Senate president
From Fred Itua, Abuja
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas over the unlawful plan to spend N40billion on 465 exotic and bulletproof cars for members and principal officials, and N70bn as palliatives for new members.
SERAP also sought an order of mandamus to direct and compel Akpabio and Abbas to repeal the Supplementary Appropriation Act 2022 to reduce the budget for the National Assembly by N110billion to reflect the current economic realities in the country.
The suit is coming on the heels of the statement by Akpabio that the Clerk of the National Assembly had sent “holiday allowances” into the “various bank accounts of senators” amid some 137 million Nigerians who are facing extreme poverty.
In the suit number FHC/L/CS/1606/2023 filed at the Federal High Court in Lagos, 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 also sought an order restraining Akpabio and 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.
In the suit, SERAP is arguing 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.”
The organisation said the proposed spending of N110 billion by members of the National Assembly is apparently on top of the N281 billion already provided for the lawmakers in the 2023 National Assembly budget. It said the proposed spending is also different from the N30.17 billion budgeted for the ‘inauguration expenses’ for new members.
It said: “Unless the reliefs sought are granted, the lawmakers will spend the N110billion, and the travesty, and apparent conflicts of interest and self-dealing by members of the National Assembly would continue. It 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. While N70 billion ‘support allowance’ is budgeted for 306 new lawmakers, only N500 billion worth of palliatives is budgeted for 12 million poor Nigerians. N40 billion is also allocated to buy 465 SUVs and bulletproof cars for members and principal officials.”
The suit was filed on behalf of SERAP by its lawyers, Kolawole Oluwadare and Blessing Ogwuche.
Meanwhile, serving and former lawmakers of the National Assembly, who double as members of ‘The Initiatives’, have commended the Godswill Akpabio-led Senate for starting up on a good footing, contrary to concerns that the upper chamber was going to be an appendage of the executive.
Dean of the Faculty Board of The Initiatives and former spokesman of the House of Representatives, Eseme Eyiboh, stated this in Abuja while reviewing activities of the Senate in the last two months.
He said the decisions taken by the senate on the presidential request for troops deployment to Niger Republic, the stoppage of the planned hike in electricity tariffs, rejection of some ministerial nominees, and the lawmakers’ intervention in resolving industrial disputes among others, show that the Senate under Akpabio is determined to complement the executive in bringing succour to Nigerians.
He said: “When this particular leadership of the National Assembly NASS emerged, there were rumours that the senate would be a rubber stamp but the first indication of ethical integrity was when Mr President sent a request to the Senate for deployment of troops to Niger Republic, many thought it was just going to be a mere formality but today, we are proud to note that that particular Senate did not only deprive, but contributed immensely by saying that all diplomatic measures be exhausted. Just few days ago, the ECOWAS Parliament aligned with what the Senate said, that diplomatic measures be exhausted.”