President Tinubu Faces Fresh Legal War Over "N70bn Giveaway to Lawmakers"

President Tinubu Faces Fresh Legal War Over "N70bn Giveaway to Lawmakers"

  • President Bola Tinubu will soon be facing another serious legal battle over his allocation of N70bn for working conditions to new lawmakers
  • SERAP, an accountability group, in reaction to the President's move on Friday, vowed to challenge the decision in court
  • While describing the development as a giveaway, the group said the allocation, which was approved by the national assembly on Thursday, is unlawful and vowed to stop it through the court

FCT, Abuja - President Bola Tinubu has been confronted with a fresh legal hurdle for budgeting N70 billion for new lawmakers to cushion the effects of their working conditions.

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) announced on its Twitter page on Friday, July 14, that it will challenge the President's decision at the court.

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Bola Tinubu/APC/Senat/House of Representatives/SERAP
President Tinubu to appear in court over N70bn giveaway to lawmakers Photo Credit: SERAP, Bola Ahmed Tinubu
Source: Twitter

Details of N70bn President Tinubu's palliative for lawmakers

On Thursday, July 13, the National Assembly approved the President's request and passed the amendment act to the N819.5 billion 2022 supplementary budget, which approved the N70 billion for the new lawmakers.

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The amendment of the supplementary budget also approved N500 billion in palliatives for Nigerians to cushion the effect of the fuel subsidy removal.

According to the amended act, the N70bn will be shared by the new lawmakers in both the upper and lower chambers.

Why SERAP drags President Tinubu to court

But SERAP, in a tweet on Friday, described the allocation as a "giveaway" to the new lawmakers and vowed to challenge the move in court.

The tweet reads:

"We're suing the Tinubu administration over its unlawful giveaway and allocation of N70 billion to the National Assembly at a time when some 137 million Nigerians are living in extreme poverty exacerbated by the removal of fuel subsidy."

Read also

What National Assembly should do before approving Tinubu’s N500bn for palliatives, Shehu Sani reveals

Recall that the leadership of the 10th national assembly has vowed to work with the executives in support of the president's agenda to reform the country since its inauguration in June.

See the tweet here:

NASS approves N70bn as ‘support for new lawmakers’

Legit.ng earlier reported that N70bn has been set aside for new lawmakers from the APC, PDP, Labour Party and other political parties in the national assembly as palliatives.

The new lawmakers will share the N70 billion that has been described as working conditions in the federal lawmakers.

The money is part of the N819.5 billion supplementary budget that President Tinubu requested from the national assembly on Wednesday.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Bada Yusuf avatar

Bada Yusuf (Politics and Current Affairs Editor) Yusuf Amoo Bada is an accomplished writer with 7 years of experience in journalism and writing, he is also politics and current affairs editor with Legit.ng. He holds B.A in Literature from OAU, and Diploma in Mass Comm. He has obtained certificates in Google's Advance Digital Reporting, News Lab workshop. He previously worked as an Editor with OperaNews. Legit’s Best Editor of the Year for Politics and Current Affairs Desk (2023). Contact: bada.yusuf.amoo@corp.legit.ng