SERAP Plans Legal Action Against Akpabio for Authorizing ‘Holiday Allowances’ to Senators

On Thursday, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) announced its intention to file a lawsuit against Senate President, Godswill Akpabio concerning the disbursement of ‘holiday allowances’ to Senators.

In the communication endorsed by Deputy Director Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP emphasized that the leaders of the National Assembly must expeditiously reduce the excessive National Assembly budget of N228.1 billion, which encompasses the N30.17 billion earmarked for severance payouts and induction expenses for members (the largest ever).

Akpabio disclosed this information in a widely circulated video on Wednesday morning, while speaking to his fellow colleagues prior to the conclusion of a motion introduced by one of the senators.

In the video that gained significant attention, Akpabio remarked, “To ensure that we all have a pleasant holiday, a small amount has been transmitted to our individual accounts by the national assembly clerk.

However, when his remark led to a disruptive incident in the Senate chamber, he modified his statement by saying, “I retract that statement. To ensure you have a pleasant holiday, the Senate President has sent prayers to your email addresses to aid your safe travels and return.”

This development occurs against the backdrop of escalating inflation and a staggering surge in food prices within markets, intensifying the hardships faced by Nigerians, particularly since the Bola Tinubu-led government’s elimination of fuel subsidies

However, news emerged on Wednesday revealing that the senators were discontented due to Akpabio’s disclosure about them receiving bribes for ministerial screening. The senators expressed dissatisfaction with the public humiliation and embarrassment caused by the unguarded statement made by the former Akwa Ibom governor.

Sources within the National Assembly, conveyed that each senator received N2 million from Akpabio, who had previously obtained N1 billion from ministerial nominees.

The senators perceived Akpabio’s action as a form of blackmail, leading them to bear the brunt from their constituents for a meager sum while Akpabio took the lion’s share of the bribe money.

“The senators are livid with Senate President Akpabio for divulging the bribe money they receive for ministerial screening. A mere N2 million was sent to each of them. Their frustration stems from the exposure of how they are incentivized to permit ministerial nominees to undergo an effortless process,” the source disclosed.

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“The Senate President amassed over N1 billion from the scrutinized ministers, then transferred a mere N2 million to the bank accounts of all 109 senators, culminating in a sum of N218 million,” another insider shared.

“Akpabio did not reveal the origin of the N2 million deposited into the senators’ accounts. Instead, he opted to coerce the senators during a live television broadcast on Monday night, alleging that funds had been credited to their accounts for holiday purposes. Subsequently, senators awoke the next morning to find only N2 million each, while the Senate President pocketed several hundreds of millions of naira.”

“This incident reflects a disgraceful and treacherous act of blackmail on the part of the Senate President. Senators are gearing up for a confrontation with him, as this situation has pitted them against their constituents who were unaware that they were allocated a mere N2 million each for the so-called ‘holiday/vacation allowance