The lawmakers had last month raised their allocation from one hundred and ninety seven billion naira proposed by President Bola Tinubu for them in the budget to three hundred and forty four billion naira.
The lawmakers also in 2023 arbitrarily increased their own budget from the originally proposed one hundred and sixty nine billion naira to two hundred and twenty eight billion naira.
In the suit filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja by their lawyers,Kolawole Oluwadare and Andrew Nwankwo, the Plaintiffs are asking the court to determine whether the lawmakers, in the exercise of their powers over appropriation bills, can unilaterally increase their own budget without the re-presentation of the budget by the Executive.
The Plaintiffs are also seeking an order of perpetual injunction restraining and preventing the National Assembly from increasing its own budget, in the exercise of its powers, without the re-presentation of such appropriation bills by the President in line with the Nigerian Constitution.
In the suit, the Plaintiffs are arguing that allowing the National Assembly to continue to unilaterally and arbitrarily increase its own budget would fundamentally undermine the spirit of the Nigerian Constitution, public trust, and the rule of law.
According to the Plaintiffs, unless the reliefs sought are granted, the National Assembly will continue to breach the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution and the rule of law, and at the expense of millions of Nigerians living in poverty.
No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.
