SERAP Asks Court To Stop Purchase Of N57.6bn SUVs For Nigerian Lawmakers

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has requested the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos State to halt the House of Representatives from procuring 360 sports utility vehicles (SUVs) amounting to the sum of N57.6 billion for its members.

The group last week filed a petition, seeking “an order of interim injunction restraining the National Assembly from procuring, taking delivery and distributing the SUVs to their members, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice for an order of interlocutory injunction filed simultaneously in this suit.”

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SERAP said its applications for “interim and interlocutory injunction” followed reports that the lawmakers are set to procure and take delivery of the SUVs.

According to a statement by SERAP deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare, stated that according to reports, “each of the SUVs would cost taxpayers at least N160 million.”

“It would be recalled that SERAP in August filed the suit number FHC/L/CS/1606/2023 before the Federal High Court challenging “the legality of the spending of billions of naira by the National Assembly to purchase exotic and bulletproof cars for members and principal officials.”

According to Oluwadare, the group also wrote President Bola Tinubu an open letter asking him to “put pressure on the leadership of the House of Representatives” and prevent its members from accepting 360 SUVs while the court case was pending.

“Allowing the National Assembly to go ahead and purchase and take delivery of the SUVs would prejudice the outcome of the suit pending in court and make a mockery of the rule of law.

“Unless you exercise your executive powers and discharge your constitutional oath of office act as recommended, the lawmakers would go ahead to procure and take delivery of the N57.6 billion vehicles, and thereby present the court with a fait accompli.”

Continuing, the statement said “It would invariably hamstring the ability of the court to do justice in the pending suit and applications for an injunction.”

While stressing the need to maintain the principles of rule of law, especially in the case on ground, SERAP added that the Tinubu-led government is also required by the United Nations Convention against Corruption and human rights treaties, to which Nigeria is a state party, to preserve the “rule of law and the integrity of the judicial process.”