The court held that the N40 billion spent on 465 vehicles for lawmakers and the N70 billion allocated as support allowances for newly elected members did not comply with due process and fell short of transparency and value-for-money standards required in public spending.
The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has declared the National Assembly’s N110 billion vehicle and allowance expenditure scheme unlawful, ruling that it violated procurement laws, constitutional provisions, and the principles of public accountability.
The court held that the N40 billion spent on 465 vehicles for lawmakers and the N70 billion allocated as support allowances for newly elected members did not comply with due process and fell short of transparency and value-for-money standards required in public spending.
The judgment was delivered on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, by Justice Yellim Bogoro in Suit No. FHC/L/CS/1606/2023, filed by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) against the National Assembly. A certified true copy of the judgment was obtained last week.
SERAP had instituted the suit in August 2023 against Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas, challenging the planned expenditure amid prevailing economic hardship in the country.
