Senate President Godswill Akpabio has recently been charged to court for his failure to refer alleged budget padding allegations to appropriate anti-graft agencies.
The charges accuse Akpabio of neglecting to investigate and prosecute the allegations.
Additionally, he is facing charges for wrongfully suspending Senator Abdul Ningi, who blew the whistle on the alleged wrongdoing.
SERAP Takes Legal Action
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has taken legal action against Akpabio. The case, filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja with case number FHC/ABJ/CS/452/2024, accuses the Senate President of misconduct.
SERAP’s lawyer, Kolawole Oluwadare, along with the organization’s deputy director and Mrs. Adelanke Aremo, filed the suit.
The statement released by SERAP revealed that Akpabio was sued on behalf of himself and other lawmakers in the upper chamber.
Ningi’s Accusations
Senator Abdul Ningi, who hails from Bauchi Central Senatorial District, was suspended for three months by the Akpabio-led Senate due to budget padding allegations.
In an interview with BBC Hausa, Ningi claimed that the federal government, led by President Bola Tinubu, implemented a budget of N28.7tn, which differed from the N25tn debated and passed by the National Assembly.
Ningi alleged that N3tn was inserted into the budget for projects without specified locations, making it the largest case of budget padding in Nigerian history under Akpabio’s leadership.
These recent developments have brought Akpabio under scrutiny and legal action.
Article updated 2 months ago. Content is written and modified by multiple authors.
