The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has dragged the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, to 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 suit with number FHC/ABJ/CS/452/2024 was filed on Friday, April 5 at the Federal High Court, Abuja, by SERAP’s lawyers, Kolawole Oluwadare (who is also the organisation’s Deputy Director) and Mrs Adelanke Aremo.
This was disclosed on Sunday in a statement issued by Kolawole Oluwadare.
The organisation added that “Mr. Akpabio is sued for himself and on behalf of all members of Nigeria’s Senate.”
Senator Abdul Ningi, representing Bauchi Central, was suspended for three months by the Senate on March 12, 2024, over his allegations of budget padding.
Ningi, in an interview with BBC Hausa, alleged that the budget passed by the National Assembly for the 2024 fiscal year is N25tn while the one being implemented by the Presidency is N28.7tn.
The suit read in part, “It is in the public interest and the interest of justice to grant this application. No whistleblower should ever be penalised simply for making a public interest disclosure.”
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.”
The organisation stated that “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.”
