The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against Senate President Godswill Akpabio and House of Representatives Speaker Tajudeen Abbas over the alleged misappropriation of ₦18.6 billion earmarked for the construction of the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC) Office Complex in Abuja.
Akpabio and Abbas were sued in their personal capacities and on behalf of all members of the National Assembly. The NASC was also joined as a respondent in the suit filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The action follows damning revelations in the Auditor-General’s 2022 Annual Report, published on September 9, 2025, which flagged the expenditure as unjustified, irregular, and unaccounted for.
SERAP Seeks Accountability, Transparency
In the suit numbered FHC/ABJ/CS/2457/2025, filed last week by SERAP’s counsel—Kolawole Oluwadare, Kehinde Oyewumi, and Andrew Nwankwo—the organisation is asking the court for an order of mandamus compelling Akpabio, Abbas, and the NASC to explain the whereabouts of the ₦18.6 billion allocated for the office complex.
SERAP is also urging the court to mandate the disclosure of the identity of the alleged “fictitious construction company” that received the funds and to release all related documents, including assessment reports, bid advertisements, bid quotations, contract agreements, minutes of tender board meetings, and the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approval.
According to the organisation, the alleged diversion of the funds constitutes “a grave violation of public trust, the Nigerian Constitution, and international anticorruption standards.” It argued that Nigerians have a right to know how public funds were spent, adding that granting the reliefs sought would strengthen democratic institutions and reinforce the rule of law.
SERAP’s suit references findings in the Auditor-General’s 2022 report, which revealed that the NASC paid over ₦11.6 billion to an “unknown construction company” on August 11, 2020. The report further alleged that the contract was inflated by more than ₦6.9 billion, with an additional payment made on November 29, 2023, reportedly for converting a roof garden into office space.
The contracts were allegedly awarded without a Bill of Quantity (BOQ), needs assessment, newspaper advertisement, bidding process, bidders’ quotations, FEC approval, or a Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) certificate of “No Objection.”
The Auditor-General warned that the entire ₦18.6 billion may have been diverted or stolen and insisted that the funds must be accounted for.
SERAP warned that the alleged corruption reflects a systemic failure by the National Assembly to uphold transparency and accountability. It argued that the misuse of public funds worsens poverty and deprives citizens of essential services.
Citing constitutional provisions, SERAP reminded the National Assembly of its duty under Sections 13, 15(5), and 16 of the 1999 Constitution to prevent corruption, promote national prosperity, and ensure that resources are used for the common good.
The organisation also pointed to Nigeria’s obligations under the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, which mandates accountability in public resource management.
Granting the reliefs sought would ensure that those responsible for the diversion of the ₦18.6 billion are brought to justice and would aid in the recovery of any proceeds of corruption,” SERAP stated.
No date has yet been fixed for the hearing of the suit.
