Abolish N’Assembly Wardrobe, Other Allowances......Group Asks Court

A civil society group, Legal Defence and Assistance Project, has asked a Federal High Court in Abuja to restrain the Clerk of the National Assembly, Salisu Maikasuwa, from further paying various allowances not approved by the Revenue Mobilisation and Allocation Fiscal Commission for members of the National Assembly.

 

The suit, FHC/ABJ/CS/556, filed on June 26, 2015, also asked the court to declare as illegal the allocation of N8.6bn by Maikasuwa, as “aggregate sum for payment of wardrobe allowance” for the legislators.

These are part of the six prayers contained in the  plaintiff’s originating summons in which the Clerk of the National Assembly was sued as the only defendant.

 

Lead counsel for the plaintiff, Mr. Chino Obagwu, argued that such allowances which were in excess of the RMAFC’s prescription contravened  Part B paragraph 32(d) of the Third Schedule and sections 13, 14(2)(b) and 16(2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).

 

LEDAP also wants the court to declare as illegal the appropriation of funds as payments for the legislators’  “constituency project allowance, recess allowance’, oversight allowance, committee sitting allowance, furniture allowance, vehicle allowance or any other allowances”.

 

It seeks an order of injunction restraining the defendant (the Clerk) from paying any salary, allowance, or emolument to any member of the National Assembly “in excess of the amount or outside the items stipulated by the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission.”

 

Also part of its prayers, is an order “directing the defendant to take steps to obtain the refund of any sum of money paid to any member of the National Assembly of the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th National Assemblies, which are in excess of the amount or outside the items stipulated by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission for salaries and remuneration of legislators of the Federation.”