NASS ASKED TO FORFEIT WARDROBE & OTHER ALLAWEE

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.”