A Federal High Court in Lagos has voided the National Assembly’s N110 billion expenditure on luxury vehicles and allowances for lawmakers, describing the spending as illegal, arbitrary, and a breach of public trust.
Justice Yellim Bogoro ruled that the N40 billion budgeted for 465 bullet-proof SUVs and the N70 billion set aside as support allowances for newly elected members violated Nigeria’s Public Procurement Act, the Constitution, and the Code of Conduct for public officers.
The landmark judgment, delivered on May 6, 2026, came in response to a lawsuit filed by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) in August 2023.
Court Rejects Legislative Autonomy as Defense
Justice Bogoro firmly dismissed the argument that the court lacked jurisdiction over the National Assembly’s internal spending decisions.
“The doctrine of separation of powers does not operate as a shield for illegality,” she stated in the judgment.
She noted that the lawmakers who approved the expenditure were also its direct beneficiaries, creating what she called “a clear case of self-dealing and conflict of interest.”
The judge took explicit note of the economic suffering faced by ordinary Nigerians at the time the spending was approved.
“The allocation of N110 billion for the benefit of lawmakers demonstrates a failure to prioritize national interest,” Justice Bogoro wrote.
She further held that the spending undermined the fiduciary duty owed to Nigerian citizens, adding: “Public office must not be used for personal enrichment.”
The court ordered Senate President Godswill Akpabio and House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas to ensure that all future public procurements by the National Assembly strictly follow due process, transparency, and value-for-money principles.
The judge also declared that the expenditure violated the oath of office that every lawmaker swears to uphold under the Seventh Schedule of the 1999 Constitution.
SERAP: A Victory for Accountability
SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare hailed the ruling as a major win for Nigerians.
“This judgment proves that public office is a public trust,” Oluwadare said. “Every naira wasted on unlawful spending is a naira stolen from education, healthcare, and security.”
Falana: Obey the Judgment
Human rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN, called on the National Assembly to comply with the ruling without delay.
“The decision of lawmakers to live in obscene opulence while citizens face poverty can no longer be justified,” Falana said. He urged the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission to enforce Section 70 of the Constitution, which empowers it to fix the salaries and allowances of National Assembly members.
The judgment requires no further action from SERAP at this stage, though the organization has written to Akpabio and Abbas urging immediate compliant
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