The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has launched a significant lawsuit against Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, and the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC), demanding full disclosure and accountability over the ₦18.6 billion allocated for the National Assembly Service Commission office complex in Abuja.
The case filed against Akpabio and Abbas both personally and on behalf of all lawmakers follows troubling findings from the 2022 Auditor-General’s Annual Report released on 9 September 2025. The report flagged the entire ₦18.6bn expenditure as unjustified, unsupported, and unaccounted for.
Filed under suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/2457/2025, SERAP is asking the court to order the National Assembly leadership and NASC to explain how the funds were spent, reveal the identity of the alleged “fictitious construction company,” and release all documents tied to the project.
The organisation is also requesting detailed assessments, bid advertisements, contractor quotations, signed agreements, Tender Board meeting minutes, and Federal Executive Council (FEC) approvals.
According to SERAP, the alleged diversion or mismanagement of the ₦18.6bn violates the Constitution, breaches public trust, and offends international anti-corruption standards. The group maintained that Nigerians “have a right to know how the funds were used and who collected the money.”
The 2022 Auditor-General’s report revealed that ₦11.6bn was paid in 2020 to an “unknown construction company,” and the project was allegedly inflated by an additional ₦6.9bn in 2023.
The report also stated that:
- No Bill of Quantity (BOQ) was prepared,
- No needs assessment was conducted,
- No advertisements were placed,
- No bidding or quotations were obtained,
- No FEC approval was issued, and
- No Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) Certificate of No Objection was presented.
The Auditor-General warned that the entire ₦18.6bn may have been misappropriated.
SERAP stressed that corruption continues to deepen poverty nationwide by depriving vulnerable Nigerians of essential public services. The group added that the National Assembly is constitutionally obligated to safeguard public funds, enforce transparency, and uphold anti-corruption frameworks.
The organisation further noted that Nigeria’s commitments under the UN Convention Against Corruption require public institutions to maintain proper financial management and accountability.
As of now, the court has not fixed a hearing date for the matter.