Akpabio Taken To Court For Failure To Recall Ningi Over Budget Padding Controversy

Godswill Akpabio, the president of the Senate, is being sued by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project for “the failure to recall Senator Abdul Ningi who blew the whistle on the allegations and to refer the alleged N3.7 trillion budget padding to appropriate anti-corruption agencies for investigation and prosecution.”

The Federal High Court in Abuja received the lawsuit, with file number FHC/ABJ/CS/452/2024, on Friday, April 5, from SERAP’s attorneys, Kolawole Oluwadare, who doubles as the organization’s deputy director, and Adelanke Aremo.

This was revealed on Sunday in a statement that was released by Oluwadare. 

“Mr. Akpabio is sued for himself and on behalf of all members of Nigeria’s Senate,” the organization stated.

Senator Abdul Ningi, representing Bauchi Central, was suspended for three months by the Senate on March 12, 2024, over his allegations of budget padding.

Ningi, in an interview with BBC Hausa, alleged that the budget passed by the National Assembly for the 2024 fiscal year is N25tn while the one being implemented by the Presidency is N28.7tn.

“Apparently, we discovered N3tn was inserted into the budget for projects without locations. This is the highest budget padding that happened in Nigerian history under Senator Akpabio’s watch,” Ningi had said.

The suit read in part, “It is in the public interest and the interest of justice to grant this application. No whistleblower should ever be penalised simply for making a public interest disclosure.”

SERAP stated that it sought “an order of mandamus to direct and compel Mr. Akpabio to refer the alleged N3.7 trillion budget padding to appropriate anti-corruption agencies for investigation and prosecution of suspected perpetrators.

“An order of mandamus to direct and compel Mr Akpabio to immediately take steps to ensure the reinstatement of whistleblower Abdul Ningi who was suspended from the Senate over his allegations that the lawmakers padded the 2024 budget by irregularly inserting projects worth N3.7 trillion.

“An order of mandamus to direct and compel Mr. Akpabio to put in place transparency and accountability mechanisms to ensure that the trillions of Naira budgeted for constituency projects are not embezzled, misappropriated, or diverted into private pockets.”

The organisation stated that “granting this application would serve the public interest, encourage whistleblowers to speak up, improve public services, and ensure transparency and accountability in the management of public resources,” adding that directing Akpabio to refer the allegations to the EFCC and ICPC “would be entirely consistent and compatible with the letter and spirit of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended] and the country’s international obligations,” and “would also ensure probity and accountability in the budget process.” [CONTINUE READING HERE]