SERAP to sue Akpabio over ‘holiday allowance’ for senators

Tamarauemi Ebimini

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has threatened to take legal action against Senate President Godswill Akpabio over his alleged payment of “holiday allowances” to senators.

“We’re suing the Senate President Godswill Akpabio over the alleged payments of “holiday allowances” by the Clerk of the National Assembly into the “various accounts” of senators while some 137 million poor Nigerians face severe economic hardship,” SERAP said.

The incident leading to this lawsuit transpired during a plenary session on Wednesday, when Akpabio, during a public address to his colleagues, mentioned the disbursement of “holiday allowances” by the clerk of the national assembly into the bank accounts of various senators.

The senate president, unaware of the live broadcast, said the distribution of a monetary token was a means to enable the senators to enjoy their holidays.

In the viral video, Akpabio appeared to be unaware that his statements were being broadcast live.

However, when his fellow senators informed him of the live broadcast, he quickly withdrew his statement, clarifying that the funds distributed were intended to assist the senators with a safe vacation.

However, the alleged holiday allowances given to senators have raised many questions from critics about the transparency and appropriateness of such financial transactions within the legislative system.

The Senate is yet to speak on the matter at the time of filing this report.