Court declares national assembly’s N110bn SUV, allowance spending unlawful

In a significant ruling, the Federal High Court in Lagos has declared the National Assembly's controversial N110 billion vehicle and allowance schemes unlawful. The court found that the allocation of N40 billion for 465 vehicles and N70 billion for allowances for new lawmakers violated procurement laws, constitutional obligations, and the public trust.

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to ensure that all future procurements or expenditure of public funds by the National Assembly comply strictly with due process requirements and are also guided by the principles of transparency, accountability and value for money.

Justice Yellim Bogoro, in her judgment delivered on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, ordered the Senate President, Mr. Godswill Akpabio, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Tajudeen Abbas, to ensure all future procurements and expenditures of public funds by the National Assembly strictly adhere to due process, transparency, accountability, and value for money.

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looking at the magnitude of the expenditure, coupled with the absence of demonstrable due process, leads me to conclude that the procurement is arbitrary, disproportionate and inconsistent with statutory procurement standards.

The lawsuit was filed by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) in August 2023, challenging the spending plans against a backdrop of worsening economic hardship across Nigeria. Justice Bogoro's judgment highlighted that the magnitude of the expenditure, without demonstrable due process, was arbitrary, disproportionate, and inconsistent with statutory procurement standards.

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the beneficiaries of the expenditure are the very officials approving it, and the expenditure confers direct pecuniary and material benefits. This to my mind constitutes a case of self-dealing and conflict of interest.

Furthermore, the court identified the scheme as a case of self-dealing and conflict of interest, as the beneficiaries were the same officials approving the spending. The judge also took judicial notice of Nigeria's economic realities and the widespread financial hardship affecting citizens, concluding that the N110 billion allocation demonstrated a failure to prioritize national interest. The court dismissed arguments of legislative autonomy, stating that the separation of powers does not shield illegality and emphasizing the court's role in examining the legality and constitutionality of legislative spending.

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I have taken judicial notice of the economic realities in Nigeria and the widespread financial hardship affecting Nigerian citizens. In this context, the allocation of N110 billion for the benefit of lawmakers demonstrates a failure to prioritise national interest.