The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability
Project (SERAP) at the weekend scaled the first hurdle in the legal battle to
compel the Senate President, Dr Bukola Sakari and Speaker of the House of
Representatives, Mr. Dogara Yakubu, to account for the spending of N500 billion
as running cost for the National Assembly between 2006 and 2016.
Justice Rilwan Aikawa
of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, ruling in the suit numbers
FHC/L/CS/1711/16 and FHC/L/CS/1710/16 also ordered the
legislative body to disclose monthly allowances of each member.
Justice Aikawa granted
the order for leave following the hearing of an argument in court on exparte
motion by SERAP counsel, Ms Bamisope Ibidolapo.
“I have looked at the
papers filed by SERAP and I am satisfied that leave ought to be granted in this
case for judicial review and an order of mandamus directing and compelling
Saraki and Dogara to account for the spending of the running cost and disclose
the monthly income and allowances of each Senator and member,” the court ruled
SERAP had approached
the court last December following disclosure by Abdulmumin Jibrin, suspended
chairman of Appropriation Committee.
Jibrin in what
observers have termed Africa’s biggest parliamentary scandals, had revealed how
Senators and House of Representatives members padded the budget. He also
claimed that the lawmakers pocketed N500 billion as ‘running cost’ out of the
N1 trillion provided for in the National Assembly budgets between 2006 and 2016.
Besides, former president Olusegun Obasanjo also alleged that each senator goes
home with at least N15 million monthly while each member receives nothing less
than N10 million monthly.
All efforts to get
members the lawmkers to disclose their package have hit the brickwall.
But the order by
Justice Aikawa has now cleared the way for SERAP to advance its case against
the senate president and the speaker of the House of Representatives.
The motion on notice
is slated for Tuesday December 12 for hearing of argument on why Saraki and
Dogara should not be compelled to publish details of the spending on the
running of the National Assembly and the exact monthly income and allowances of
each Senator and member.
- Sun News
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