The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has taken Senate President Godswill Akpabio and House of Representatives Speaker Tajudeen Abbas to court over what it described as their failure to explain how ₦18.6bn allocated for the National Assembly Service Commission office complex was spent.
SERAP filed the suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2457/2025, at the Federal High Court in Abuja last week.
The organisation listed Akpabio and Abbas as defendants on behalf of all federal lawmakers and included the NASC as a respondent.
In a statement issued on Sunday, November 30, by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP said the action was prompted by “grave allegations” in the 2022 annual report of the Auditor-General of the Federation, released on September 9, 2025.
Quoting details from the report, SERAP noted that the NASC “paid over N11.6 billion [N11,647,302,594.00] to ‘an unknown construction company’ for ‘the construction of the Commission’s Complex within 24 months.’”
It added that “the payment was reportedly made on 11 August 2020. But ‘the contract was inflated by over N6.9 billion [N6,930,000,000.00]’ and the money was reportedly paid to the construction company on 29 November 2023 ‘for the conversion of the roof garden to office space.’”
The group stated further that “the contract was reportedly awarded without a Bill of Quantity (BOQ) for the upward review of the contract, and the ‘BOQ for the contract of N11.6 billion was not priced.’”
SERAP said the Auditor-General found that “both contracts were reportedly awarded without any needs assessment, newspaper advertisements, bidding process, contract agreement, bidders’ quotations, or any approval by the Federal Executive Council (FEC). There was also no Bureau of Public Procurement Certificate of ‘No Objection’.”
According to SERAP, the Auditor-General believes the ₦18.6bn earmarked for the project “may have been diverted, misappropriated or stolen,” insisting that the funds must be fully accounted for.
READ ALSO: SERAP to Akpabio, Abbas: Account for Missing ₦18.6bn NASS Fund, Expose Contractor
In the suit filed by 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 whereabouts of ₦18.6bn meant for the construction of the NASC office complex.”
SERAP also wants the court to compel the respondents to reveal the identity of the “fictitious construction company” said to have received the funds, and to release all assessment reports, bid advertisements, quotations, contract documents, minutes of Tender Board meetings and any Federal Executive Council approval tied to the project.
The organisation argued that failing to account for the money violates public trust, the 1999 Constitution and international anti-corruption obligations.
“Nigerians have the right to know the whereabouts of the ₦18.6bn and details of the contractors that collected the money,” it said.
It added that granting its prayers would “serve legitimate public interests” and reinforce democratic governance.
SERAP stressed that the National Assembly must “uphold and defend the basic principles of transparency, accountability and the rule of law,” noting that proper scrutiny could aid the recovery of any diverted public funds.
The group also cited constitutional duties requiring public institutions to prevent corruption, manage national resources prudently and protect citizens’ welfare, while referencing Nigeria’s commitments under the UN Convention against Corruption.
A hearing date has not yet been scheduled.