The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas to urgently disclose certified copies of all documents relating to the approval of over ₦1.3 billion (₦1,302,978,784) allocated to the “Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council” (PFIPC) in the 2026 Appropriation Act.
The organization also called on the National Assembly leadership to promptly exercise its constitutional powers under Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution to investigate how the multi-million naira allocation was granted to a body that the Presidency has publicly declared as fictitious.
In a Freedom of Information (FoI) request dated July 4, 2026, SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare noted that these conflicting accounts raise serious concerns regarding the integrity of Nigeria’s appropriations process, legislative oversight, and public financial management.
The rights group is demanding full disclosure on the members of the legislative committees that considered the allocation, alongside the official designations of the public officers who appeared before the committees to defend the proposed funding.
It is also seeking clarification on whether the ₦1.3 billion was part of the Executive’s original Appropriation Bill or introduced during the legislative defense process.
”Nobody has a more sacred obligation to obey the law than those who make the law. The National Assembly has a constitutional duty not merely to rubber-stamp the Executive’s budget proposals, but to thoroughly scrutinize, debate, and authorize public expenditure in line with the law,” the statement read in part.
The call for accountability stems from the 2026 budget specifications, where the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council/Presidential Economic Advisory Council was granted a line-item allocation of ₦1,302,978,784.
However, in a statement issued on July 1, 2026, the Presidency categorically denied the existence of the council, stating that it is a completely fictitious body that was never established by the Federal Government.
SERAP emphasized that disclosing the requested documents would bolster public confidence in the credibility of the National Assembly and promote maximum transparency in line with Nigeria’s international obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
The rights group has given the National Assembly leadership seven days from the publication of the letter to comply with the requests. SERAP stated that it will initiate legal action to compel the federal legislature to release the information if the deadline is not met.