Drama In The Senate! Lawyers Drag Lawmakers To Court, Demand Salary Refund For ‘Doing Nothing

A coalition of legislative attorneys under the Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners (ALDRAP) has taken legal steps to compel Nigerian senators to refund a significant portion of their salaries and allowances received since 2023, citing gross underperformance.

The group is also demanding full reimbursement from 40 senators who allegedly held dual legislative roles—serving simultaneously in the Nigerian Senate and in the ECOWAS and Pan-African Parliaments, a violation of Nigerian constitutional provisions.

Presenting themselves as dissatisfied consumers, the lawyers approached the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal and issued a pre-action notice addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio. The notice, dated May 26, 2025, was signed by ALDRAP’s Administrative Secretary, Amuga Jesse Williams.

The letter, titled “Pre-action Notice: Demand Made Pursuant to the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission Act, 2018”, accuses all 109 senators of delivering only 12% performance of their statutory duties since the inception of the 10th National Assembly in May 2023. Based on this, ALDRAP is demanding the reimbursement of 78% of all salaries and allowances paid to them during that period.

Furthermore, it calls for a full refund from the 40 senators who allegedly neglected their primary duties at the National Assembly in favor of external parliamentary roles, contrary to Section 68 of the 1999 Constitution, which bars dual legislative membership.

The pre-action notice was also copied to high-ranking officials and institutions including the President of Nigeria, the Chief Justice, the Executive Vice Chairman of the FCCPC, the Accountant-General of the Federation, the CBN Governor, and the Secretary-Generals of both the ECOWAS and Pan-African Parliaments.