Federal High Court declares N110bn N’Assembly vehicle, allowance scheme unlawful

The divisional Federal High Court in Lagos has declared the National Assembly’s N110 billion vehicle and allowance scheme unlawful, ruling that the spending breached procurement laws, constitutional provisions, and public accountability standards.

The court held that the allocation for 465 vehicles and N70 billion in allowances for lawmakers was arbitrary, excessive, and inconsistent with due process.

The court ordered the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, to ensure strict compliance with transparency, accountability, and value-for-money principles in all future expenditures of public funds by the National Assembly.

The case was filed by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), which challenged plans to spend the funds on luxury vehicles and allowances for lawmakers amid widespread economic hardship in Nigeria.

Delivering judgment, Justice Yellim Bogoro held that: “Looking at the magnitude of the expenditure, coupled with the absence of demonstrable due process, leads me to conclude that the procurement is arbitrary, disproportionate and inconsistent with statutory procurement standards.”

The judge further stated: “The beneficiaries of the expenditure are the very officials approving it… this constitutes a case of self-dealing and conflict of interest.”

She also held that: “The allocation of N110 billion for the benefit of lawmakers undermines the fiduciary duty owed to the Nigerian people. Public office must not be used for personal enrichment.”

On jurisdictional arguments, the court ruled that SERAP had legal standing, noting that public interest litigation is recognized under Nigerian law, and dismissed claims that the case was academic or invalid due to alleged procedural gaps.

According to details of the ruling published on SERAP’s website, the court affirmed that the National Assembly failed to demonstrate compliance with procurement procedures, competitive bidding, and value-for-money requirements, and that the expenditure was therefore unlawful under the Public Procurement Act.

Reacting to the judgment, SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare said: “This landmark judgment is a major victory for transparency, accountability and responsible management of public resources in Nigeria. It demonstrates that public office is a public trust and that public funds must be used strictly in the public interest.”