A legal action has been initiated against Nigeria’s Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, accusing them of unduly favoring themselves through the padding of the 2024 Budget. The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and twenty concerned Nigerians are challenging the unilateral increase in lawmakers’ allocation from N197 billion to N344 billion, the highest since 1999. The lawsuit questions whether lawmakers can independently boost their budget without re-presentation by the Executive, claiming a breach of democratic principles and the Constitution’s separation of powers.
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and twenty concerned Nigerians have taken legal action against Nigeria’s Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, accusing them of unfairly padding the 2024 Budget. The lawsuit challenges the arbitrary increase in lawmakers’ allocation from N197 billion to N344 billion, the highest since the return of democracy in 1999.
The plaintiffs argue that the National Assembly’s unilateral decision to increase its budget without re-presentation by the President violates the democratic principles of separation of powers and checks and balances. The lawsuit questions whether lawmakers can independently modify their budget without proper procedures outlined in the Nigerian Constitution.
In the suit filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja, SERAP and the concerned Nigerians seek a declaration that the National Assembly’s action is a breach of the Constitution and an order of perpetual injunction preventing such unilateral increases. They emphasize that allowing this practice to continue would undermine the rule of law and constitutional commitments to public services.
The plaintiffs highlight that the President presented the Appropriation Bill 2024 with N27.5 trillion to the National Assembly, which later increased it to N28.7 trillion, including a substantial raise in lawmakers’ allocation. The lawsuit contends that the National Assembly failed to follow proper procedures by not submitting the modified budget for re-presentation before presenting it to the President for assent.
SERAP and the concerned Nigerians are seeking the court’s intervention to safeguard the democratic process, prevent arbitrary budget increases, and ensure compliance with the Constitution’s principles. No hearing date has been set for the suit.
