The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has dragged the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, and Speaker of House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, to court, over “their failure to probe, and to refer to appropriate anti-corruption Agencies, fresh allegations that N4.1 billon of public money budgeted for the National Assembly, is missing, misappropriated, or stolen”, Page 36 learnt.
The suit followed the publication of the annual audited report for 2016, in which the Auditor-General of the Federation raised “concerns about alleged diversion and misappropriation of public funds, and sought the recovery of any missing funds”.
In the suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1609/2021, filed at the Federal High Court, in Abuja, SERAP is seeking for “an order of mandamus to direct and compel Dr. Lawan and Mr. Gbajabiamila to perform their constitutional oversight functions to promptly probe the allegations that fresh N4.1 billion budgeted for the National Assembly may be missing”.
SERAP is also arguing that “the National Assembly has legal and constitutional duties to prevent and combat corruption, as well as promote transparency and accountability in the management of public resources.
“The National Assembly can only effectively perform its anti-corruption role, if it can demonstrate exemplary leadership to probe the allegations of corruption and mismanagement involving the legislative body.”
It is further arguing that: “Transparency and accountability in the management of public resources and wealth, is essential for promoting development, people’s welfare and well-being, and their access to basic public services, as well as good governance and the rule of law.
“The National Assembly has no legally justifiable reason to refuse to investigate the allegations documented by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation.”
The suit was filed on behalf of SERAP by its Lawyers, Kolawole Oluwadare and Kehinde Oyewumi.
No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.
More news later…