The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas over what it describes as their failure to account for an alleged missing ₦18.6 billion earmarked for the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC) complex project. The suit, lodged at the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeks an order compelling the two presiding officers to transparently explain how the funds were used and to ensure the recovery of any mismanaged or diverted sums.
In the action, SERAP is suing Akpabio and Abbas “for themselves and on behalf of all members of the National Assembly,” arguing that they bear institutional responsibility for public funds allocated to the legislature.
The organisation contends that the National Assembly leadership has ignored repeated demands to publish detailed information on the ₦18.6bn released for the NASC complex, including the names of contractors, the status of the project, and any variation in cost.
SERAP insists that citizens have a constitutional and legal right to know how public money is spent on major capital projects, especially one tied to the running of the country’s highest law‑making body.
According to SERAP’s statement, the lawsuit follows a seven‑day ultimatum issued in October 2025, during which the group requested Akpabio and Abbas to “account for the ₦18.6bn and publish the project documents”—an ultimatum that expired without any substantive response. The group argues that the continued secrecy around the NASC complex funds suggests possible mismanagement or diversion and undermines public trust in the National Assembly. “There is a legitimate public interest in ensuring that the ₦18.6bn budgeted for the NASC complex has not been embezzled, misapplied, or otherwise stolen,” SERAP stated, stressing that the National Assembly cannot “continue to operate like a secret society when trillions of naira in public funds are at stake.”
SERAP is asking the court for an order of mandamus compelling Akpabio and Abbas to “direct the publication of certified true copies of the documents on the NASC complex project and to invite relevant anti‑corruption agencies to investigate and, if appropriate, prosecute anyone suspected of wrongdoing.”
The organisation maintains that failure to account for the funds would amount to a breach of the lawmakers’ constitutional oath to act in the public interest and manage public resources responsibly. “Transparency in the use of the ₦18.6bn is not a favour but a legal obligation,” SERAP added, urging the judiciary to affirm that legislative leaders are not above accountability.
The case is the latest in a series of suits by SERAP targeting financial opacity in the National Assembly, including earlier litigation over alleged “₦3m bribe‑for‑bills” claims and questions surrounding lawmakers’ running costs. No hearing date has yet been announced, but anti‑corruption advocates say the outcome will test how far Nigeria’s courts are willing to go in compelling powerful public officials to open their books to public scrutiny.
