SERAP takes Akpabio, Abbas to court over alleged missing ₦18.6bn National Assembly project funds

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has instituted legal action against Senate President Godswill Akpabio and House of Representatives Speaker Tajudeen Abbas for allegedly failing to explain how ₦18.6 billion allocated for the construction of the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC) office complex was spent.

The suit, filed last week at the Federal High Court in Abuja and marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2457/2025, lists Akpabio and Abbas as defendants representing all federal lawmakers, while the NASC is joined as a respondent.

SERAP, in a statement by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, said the case stems from “serious allegations” contained in the Auditor-General of the Federation’s 2022 report, which was published on 9 September 2025.

According to the report, the NASC allegedly paid ₦11.6bn to an “unknown construction company” on 11 August 2020 for the construction of its headquarters. The Auditor-General further alleged that the contract was inflated by an additional ₦6.9bn, which was purportedly paid to the same company on 29 November 2023 for “conversion of the roof garden to office space.”

The report suggests that the contracts were awarded without basic procurement procedures – including a Bill of Quantity, needs assessment, newspaper advertisement, competitive bidding, contract agreement or Federal Executive Council (FEC) approval. There was also reportedly no Bureau of Public Procurement Certificate of “No Objection.”

The Auditor-General warned that the ₦18.6bn may have been “diverted, misappropriated or stolen,” prompting SERAP to demand full disclosure.

Through its lawyers, Kolawole Oluwadare, Kehinde Oyewumi and Andrew Nwankwo, SERAP is asking the court to issue an order of mandamus compelling Akpabio, Abbas and the NASC to account for the funds.

The organisation also wants the court to mandate the disclosure of the name of the alleged “fictitious construction company,” as well as all related procurement documents, including bid notices, contractor quotations, contract agreements, tender board meetings and FEC approvals.

SERAP argued that any diversion or mismanagement of the ₦18.6bn violates constitutional provisions on transparency and Nigeria’s obligations under international anti-corruption conventions.

“Nigerians deserve to know what happened to the ₦18.6bn and who received it,” the organisation said, adding that granting its prayers would serve public interest, strengthen accountability and aid the recovery of any missing funds.

The group emphasised that the National Assembly is duty-bound to uphold transparency and protect public resources.

The court has not yet fixed a date for the hearing of the suit.

The action follows SERAP’s earlier letter to Akpabio and Abbas on 19 October demanding an explanation over the alleged missing funds.