The controversies trailing the procurement of 360 sports utility vehicles (SUVs) by the House of Representatives have taken a new twist as the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has asked the Federal High Court in Lagos to restrain the lawmakers from procuring and taking delivery of cars.
SERAP is urging the court to put in place the interim order pending the hearing and determination of the applications for injunction filed by its lawyer to challenge, what it described as wasteful and insensitive.
The civil society organisation claimed it instituted the suit, which is yet to be assigned to a judge, following reports that the lawmakers are set to procure and take delivery of N57.6 billion SUVs at N160 million per car.
SERAP had, in August this year, filed a suit marked FHC/L/CS/1606/2023 before the Federal High Court challenging “the legality of the spending of billions of naira by the National Assembly to purchase exotic and bulletproof cars for members and principal officials”.
The group also in an open letter sent to President Bola Tinubu on Saturday, urged him to put pressure on the leadership of the House of Representatives and stop members from taking delivery of 360 sports utility vehicles (SUVs), pending the hearing and determination of the application for interim injunction.
In the letter signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, it also urged the president to put pressure on the leadership of the Senate and stop members from taking delivery of the planned procurement of bulletproof SUVs, pending the hearing and determination of the application for interim injunction filed before the Federal High Court.
The organisation argued that allowing the National Assembly to go ahead and purchase and take delivery of the SUVs would prejudice the outcome of the suit pending in court and make a mockery of the rule of law.
It further maintained that unless President Tinubu exercised his executive powers and discharged his constitutional oath of office by acting as recommended, the lawmakers would go ahead to procure and take delivery of the N57.6 billion vehicles, and thereby present the court with a fait accompli.
SERAP stated, “It would invariably hamstring the ability of the court to do justice in the pending suit and applications for injunction.
“Stopping the leadership of the House of Representatives and members from going ahead to procure and take delivery of the SUVs, pending the hearing and determination of the applications for injunction would be entirely consistent with the notions of the rule of law, judicial independence and integrity and the public interest.
“Exercising your constitutional powers in this matter would promote the effective administration of justice and maintain the integrity of the claims against the lawmakers”, the group said.
