Mr. Akpabio is sued for himself and on behalf of all members of Nigeria’s Senate
It was declared on Sunday, April 7, 2024, that the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has filed a case against the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, in court over “the failure to refer the alleged N3.7 trillion budget padding to appropriate anti-corruption agencies for investigation and prosecution and to recall Senator Abdul Ningi, who blew the whistle on the allegations.” The case, which was filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, has the number FHC/ABJ/CS/452/2024.
In a recent interview, Ningi disclosed that the National Assembly budget for the 2024 fiscal year is N25 trillion (twenty-five trillion naira), while the one being implemented by the presidency is N28.7 trillion.
Ningi stated that they discovered N3tn that was inserted into the budget for projects without locations. This is the highest budget padding that has happened in Nigerian history under Senator Akpabio’s watch.
SERAP stated that it sought “an order of mandamus to direct and compel Mr. Akpabio to refer the alleged N3.7 trillion budget padding to appropriate anti-corruption agencies for investigation and prosecution of suspected perpetrators.
“An order of mandamus to direct and compel Mr. Akpabio to immediately take steps to ensure the reinstatement of whistleblower Abdul Ningi, who was suspended from the Senate over his allegations that the lawmakers padded the 2024 budget by irregularly inserting projects worth N3.7 trillion.
“An order of mandamus to direct and compel Mr. Akpabio to put in place transparency and accountability mechanisms to ensure that the trillions of Naira budgeted for constituency projects are not embezzled, misappropriated, or diverted into private pockets.”
According to SERAP, granting this application would serve the public interest, encourage whistleblowers to speak up, improve public services, and ensure transparency and accountability in the management of public resources,” adding that directing Akpabio to refer the allegations to the EFCC and ICPC “would be entirely consistent and compatible with the letter and spirit of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended] and the country’s international obligations,” and “would also ensure probity and accountability in the budget process.”
BudgetIT established that a total of 7,447 projects culminating in N2.24 trillion were indiscriminately inserted in the 2024 budget by the National Assembly. 281 projects worth N491bn and 3,706 projects within the range of N100–500m, worth N759bn, were inserted in the budget.”
However, following the suspension of Ningi, Akpabio’s lawyer clarified that it’s the consensus of the senate sitting in the plenary. While the date for the hearing of the suit is yet to be fixed, the SERAP condemns and tags Ningi’s suspension as a flawed process.
By Chidimma NWAFOR
