Akpabio, Abbas In Fresh Trouble As SERAP Drags Them To Court Over Jumbo Allowances

SERAP Sues Senate President Akpabio, Speaker Abbas Over Lawmakers’ Allowances.

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has taken legal action against Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas, accusing them of refusing to halt the unlawful practice of setting lawmakers’ allowances and running costs.

SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, disclosed in a statement on Sunday that the case was filed last Friday at the Federal High Court in Abuja under suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1289/2024.

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The organization is seeking an order of mandamus to compel Akpabio and Abbas to reveal the exact amount of monthly running costs paid to lawmakers and to provide details of how these funds are spent.

SERAP argues that the National Assembly’s practice of fixing its own salaries, allowances, and running costs violates the Nigerian Constitution. Specifically, they cite paragraph N, section 32(d) of the Third Schedule, which they say makes it illegal for the National Assembly to set its own financial compensation.

This lawsuit follows allegations made by former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, who claimed that lawmakers were setting their salaries and allowances independently, contrary to the guidelines set by the Revenue Mobilisation Fiscal Allocation Commission (RMAFC).

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While it has been clarified that the 109 senators in Nigeria earn a monthly salary of N1,063,860, there has been no transparency regarding the allowances they receive.

Kano South Senator, Abdurrahman Kawu Sumaila, recently revealed that senators receive N21 million monthly as running costs. This disclosure has led to further public scrutiny, with former Senator Shehu Sani stating that Sumaila’s revelation corroborates his earlier claims regarding the extravagant allowances enjoyed by lawmakers.