The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against the leadership of the National Assembly, challenging what it describes as the self-determined running costs allocated to lawmakers.
The suit names Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas as respondents. SERAP alleges that both leaders have failed to put an end to “the unlawful practice by the National Assembly of setting its own allowances and running costs” and have not provided transparency regarding the monthly running costs allocated to its members.
Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP’s Deputy Director, disclosed in a statement on Friday that the lawsuit was filed the previous week at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
This legal action follows a recent accusation by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who claimed that lawmakers are setting their own salaries and allowances, in violation of recommendations made by the Revenue Mobilisation Fiscal Allocation Commission (RMAFC).
In the lawsuit, SERAP seeks an “order of mandamus” to compel Akpabio and Abbas to end the National Assembly’s practice of determining its own remuneration and allowances, referred to as ‘running costs.’ Additionally, SERAP is requesting a mandate for Akpabio and Abbas to disclose the exact amounts of the monthly running costs being paid to lawmakers, along with detailed spending reports for these funds.
SERAP also seeks a court order to prevent the practice of depositing these ‘running costs’ directly into the personal accounts of lawmakers, arguing that this violates the Nigerian Constitution. According to Oluwadare, paragraph N, section 32(d) of the Third Schedule to the 1999 Constitution [as amended] prohibits the National Assembly from setting its own salaries, allowances, and running costs.
Oluwadare further noted that paying running costs into lawmakers’ personal accounts is a fundamental violation of Rule 713 of the Federal Government Financial Regulations, which states that “public money shall not be paid into a private bank account.”