A civic advocacy group has given the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, a seven-day ultimatum to ensure the refund of N110 billion allegedly expended on vehicle procurement and support allowances for lawmakers.
The demand follows a judgment delivered by the Federal High Court in Lagos, where Justice Yellim Bogoro reportedly ruled that the expenditure breached procurement laws, constitutional provisions, and public trust obligations.
According to the group, members of both chambers of the National Assembly who benefited from the schemes should return all monies, allowances, and benefits derived from the transactions to the public treasury.
The disputed expenditure comprises N40 billion reportedly spent on the procurement of 465 vehicles for lawmakers and N70 billion paid as support allowances to newly elected legislators.
The group further urged the leadership of the National Assembly to establish stronger mechanisms that would ensure future public expenditures comply with due process, transparency, accountability, and value-for-money principles.
It also called for the institutionalisation of public hearings on the National Assembly's budget during every budget cycle, as well as the proactive publication of detailed budgetary and expenditure records to enhance public confidence and participation in governance.
The advocates argued that allowing public officials to retain benefits arising from expenditures declared unlawful by a competent court would undermine accountability and erode public trust in democratic institutions.
As of the time of filing this report, the leadership of the National Assembly had not publicly responded to the demands.
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Politics