The Federal High Court in Lagos has granted leave to Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project to proceed against the leadership of the National Assembly in its quest to ascertain the exact earnings of the national lawmakers.
The group is also demanding accountability on the spending of the N500bn budgeted as running cost for the National Assembly between 2006 and 2016.
In a ruling on Friday, Justice Rilwan Aikawa declared as meritorious SERAP’s application seeking an order of mandamus to compel the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Yakubu Dogara, to give the details of how the National Assembly spent N500bn as running cost for 10 years, and to disclose the monthly allowances of each lawmaker.
“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 the respondents (Saraki and Dogara) to account for the spending of the running cost and disclose the monthly income and allowances of each senator and member,” Justice Aikawa held.
The judge adjourned till December 12, 2017 for Saraki and Dogara to show cause, if they have any, why an order should not be made to compel them to supply the information requested by SERAP.
SERAP had since last year commenced a legal action against the leadership of the National Assembly following an allegation by a suspended member of the House of Representatives, Abdulmumin Jibrin, that national lawmakers “had pocketed N500bn as running cost out of the N1tn provided for in the National Assembly budgets between 2006 and 2016.”
The group filed yet another suit, after a former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, stated that each senator earned nothing less than N15m monthly while each member received nothing less than N10m monthly.
In a statement on Sunday by its deputy director, Timothy Adewale, SERAP said the order by Justice Aikawa “had cleared the way for it to advance its case against the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.”
SERAP, in its suit, contended that “the defendants will not suffer any injury or prejudice if the information is released to the members of the public.”
It argued, “It is in the interest of justice that the information is released. Unless the relief sought herein in granted, the defendants will continue to be in breach of the Freedom of Information Act and other statutory responsibilities.”
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