Lawyers Initiate Legal Action to Demand Senators Repay Unused Salaries due to Poor Performance
Groundbreaking legal action initiated against Nigerian senators
A group of legislative attorneys, working under the auspices of the Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners (ALDRAP), have taken action to recoup a portion of the salaries and allowances received by Nigerian senators since 2023 due to alleged poor performance.
These attorneys have requested that 40 specific senators return the total sums they earned during their simultaneous memberships in both the Nigerian Senate and the ECOWAS and Pan-African parliaments, as this contravenes Nigerian laws.
In a move following the procedures of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal, the legal representatives have delivered a pre-action notice to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio. This notice outlines their demands for reimbursement, amounting to approximately 78% of the salaries and allowances received by each of the 109 senators between May 2023 and May 2025, as well as the complete refund of the earnings of the 40 senators accused of dual parliamentary roles.
The dispute revolves around the senators' failure to meet their statutory responsibilities to constituents, as evidenced by a mere 12% legislative performance, in accordance with Section 68 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999.
Empirical research and an open letter from legislative law expert Dr. Tonye Clinton Jaja criticize the 10th Senate's conduct, including the rapid passage of significant bills without public hearings or adequate scrutiny. These criticisms demarcate a pattern of neglect and failure to fulfill statutory duties.
If the senators do not comply with the ALDRAP's demands within seven days, the legal row will progress to the tribunal. The legal action addresses the senators as service providers who failed to deliver expected legislative services, including lawmaking, oversight, and representation as mandated under Sections 4, 88, and 89 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution.
Notable allegations include the enactment of several Executive Bills without public hearings, the disregard of private member bills, and intensive confrontational action against a fellow legislator, all of which culminate in the charge of dereliction of institutional responsibilities and infringement on the principle of value-for-money.
- This groundbreaking legal action against Nigerian senators was initiated by a group of legislative attorneys from the Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners (ALDRAP) in Abuja, Nigeria.
- The legal representatives have delivered a pre-action notice to the Senate President in Nigeria, Godswill Akpabio, asking for the reimbursement of approximately 78% of salaries and allowances received by each senator since May 2023, as well as the complete refund of the earnings of the 40 senators accused of dual parliamentary roles.
- The dispute focuses on the senators' failure to meet their statutory responsibilities to constituents, as evidenced by a mere 12% legislative performance, which contravenes Section 68 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999.
- The case is progressing through the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal and, if the senators do not comply with the ALDRAP's demands within seven days, it will continue to the tribunal.
- The legal action against the Nigerian senators can be found under general news, crime and justice, politics, and policy and legislation categories in war-and-conflicts and Naija news websites.
- Legislative law expert Dr. Tonye Clinton Jaja's open letter has criticized the 10th Senate's conduct, including the rapid passage of significant bills without public hearings or adequate scrutiny, which has demarcated a pattern of neglect and failure to fulfill statutory duties.
