Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio and Speaker House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas over “the failure to disclose, clarify and explain the details of National Assembly budget of 344.85 billion naira and the rationale for several budget items, such as the 6 billion naira budgeted for two car parks.”
Akpabio and Abbas are sued for themselves and on behalf of all members of the National Assembly.
In the suit filed last Friday at the Federal High Court, Abuja, SERAP is arguing that the details of spending of public funds by the National Assembly have been mostly shrouded in secrecy and that Nigerians have the right to know the details of the budget by the lawmakers, and the rationale for the budget.
They also arguing that disclosing, clarifying and explaining the details of the proposed spending of the National Assembly budget would allow Nigerians to scrutinise it, and to monitor the spending of the budget to ensure that the money is not mismanaged, diverted or stolen.