SERAP Demands Akpabio, Abbas Explain Alleged ₦18.6bn National Assembly Construction Scandal
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on Senate President Godswill Akpabio and House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas to explain the whereabouts of the alleged missing ₦18.6 billion allocated for the construction of the National Assembly Commission Office Complex — a figure reportedly flagged in the 2022 annual audit report released by the Auditor-General of the Federation.
According to documents obtained by PulseNets, SERAP in a letter dated October 18, 2025, and signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, urged the two presiding officers to “disclose the identity of the fictitious construction company” alleged to have received the funds. The organisation also demanded the names of the company’s directors, shareholders, and registered address to enable full public scrutiny.
The anti-corruption watchdog further questioned the National Assembly’s alleged violation of the Public Procurement Act, citing failure to carry out a needs assessment, competitive bidding process, or official contract documentation before the multi-billion-naira payment was made.
In addition, SERAP reportedly queried an alleged ₦6.9 billion inflation of the contract for what it described as the “conversion of the roof garden to office space.” The group demanded to know the current status of the project and why there was no formal approval for the upward review of the contract sum.
In the strongly worded statement made available to PulseNets, SERAP noted that:
“These disturbing findings by the Auditor-General point to gross breaches of public trust, constitutional ethics, and Nigeria’s obligations under both national and international anti-corruption frameworks.”
The organisation maintained that the National Assembly cannot credibly exercise oversight or anti-corruption duties while ignoring allegations of corruption within its own leadership.
“The National Assembly must lead by example. Upholding transparency, accountability, and rule of law is non-negotiable. Tackling these allegations head-on will restore citizens’ confidence and prove lawmakers serve the public, not private interests,” SERAP emphasised.
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PulseNets learnt that the group gave Akpabio and Abbas a seven-day ultimatum from the date of receipt or publication of the letter to act on its demands. Failure to comply, it warned, would result in legal proceedings to compel accountability in the public interest.
