A Lagos-based
lawyer, Mr. Adedokun Makinde, has filed a suit before Justice Mojisola
Olatoregun of the Lagos division of the Federal High Court, seeking an order to
stop the payment of security votes to the President, Vice-President, governors
and deputy governors. The suit also seeks an end to the payment of constituency
project allowances to the Senate President, House of Representatives Speaker,
speakers of state legislatures, members of federal and state legislatures and
other political office holders.
Joined as respondents in
the suit (FHC/L/CS/220/17) are the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF),
Senate President, House of Representatives Speaker, Revenue Mobilisation
Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister,
36 state governors and speakers of the 36 state legislatures.
Aside from seeking an
order halting the payment of security votes and constituency project allowances
to political office holders, Mr. Makinde is also requesting the court to
declare the payment as well as drawing on funds in the shape of security vote
from the Consolidated Revenue Fund or states as illegal.
The lawyer equally wants
the court to declare that payment of funds for constituency projects to federal
and state lawmakers as illegal. In the affidavit he deposed to in support
of the suit, the lawyer averred that the President, Vice-President, governors,
and deputy governors are in the category of executive political office holders
and are thus ineligible to receive any remuneration as approved or determined
by the RMAFC, the fifth respondent.
He further averred that
the Constitution does not provide for the payment of security votes, as part of
the remunerations, to the President, Vice-President, governors, and deputies by
the RMAFC.
Mr. Makinde added that
funds paid and received as security votes are not captured in the Federal
Appropriation Act or states’ appropriation laws. The amounts of money drawn
from the Consolidated Revenue Fund, which is unknown, represents a huge
drain on the country’s resources, reduces the money available for development
and therefore violates the constitution.
He argued that being
elected exclusively to make laws precludes federal and state legislators
from receiving monies for the execution of constituency projects, an
exclusive responsibility of the executive arm of government. Payment of
constituency project funds to them, Mr. Makinde contended, is thus illegal.
Also, the lawyer stated
that payment to or withdrawal of security votes by the respondents constitutes
an illegality and should be stopped henceforth. Hearing in the suit has been
fixed for 26 April by Justice Olatoregun.
Source:
BarristerNG.com/SaharaReporters.com
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