A landmark judgment by the Federal High Court in Lagos has declared unlawful the National Assembly’s controversial N110 billion expenditure on vehicles and allowances for lawmakers, ruling that the spending violated procurement laws, constitutional provisions, and principles of public accountability.
The judgment, delivered by Justice Yellim Bogoro on May 6, 2026, followed a suit filed by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) challenging the planned expenditure of N40 billion on 465 vehicles for federal lawmakers and N70 billion in support allowances for newly elected members of the National Assembly.
According to details of the judgment post by SERAP on Sunday on it’s official website, the court found that the procurement process failed to meet statutory requirements and lacked evidence of due process.
Justice Bogoro held that the scale of the expenditure, coupled with the absence of transparent procedures, rendered the procurement arbitrary and inconsistent with established legal standards.
“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 judge ruled.
The court further raised concerns over conflict of interest, noting that the beneficiaries of the expenditure were the same officials responsible for approving it.
“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,” Justice Bogoro stated.
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As part of the ruling, the court directed Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas to ensure that all future spending and procurement activities by the National Assembly strictly comply with due process requirements.
The court also ordered that future expenditures of public funds by the legislature must be guided by transparency, accountability, and value-for-money principles.
SERAP had instituted the legal action in August 2023 after lawmakers proposed the expenditure amid widespread economic hardship and growing concerns over public spending priorities.
The case, filed as Suit No. FHC/L/CS/1606/2023, challenged the legality of the allocations and sought judicial intervention to prevent what the organisation described as wasteful spending of public resources.
The ruling is expected to reignite debate over government expenditure, legislative accountability, and compliance with procurement regulations in Nigeria’s public sector.