Budget padding: SERAP sues Akpabio over suspended Senator Ningi

By Innocent Raphael

The Socio-economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has instituted a legal action against the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, over the failure to recall suspended Bauchi Central Senator, Abdul Ningi.

The human rights agency disclosed this via a posted on X, stating that it made the move due to the failure of the Senate President to prosecute the whistleblower if need be.

SERAP also sued Akpabio over his inability to refer the budget padding allegation to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for prosecution.

The post read: “We’ve sued the Senate President, Mr Godswill Akpabio over the failure to recall whistleblower Abdul Ningi, and to refer the alleged N3.7 trillion budget padding to the EFCC and ICPC for investigation and prosecution.”

The Bauchi Senator had raised an alarm that monies amounting to N3.7 trillion was untraceable in the 2024 budget.

The Senate would consequently suspend him for a three-month period, following his inability to substantiate the budget padding allegation.

After being suspended, activist lawyer Femi Falana urged the Senate to reinstate Ningi, but the demand remains unmet.