Civic group files suit to access N’Assembly budget records

A civic group, AdvoKC Foundation, has filed a lawsuit at the Federal High Court in Lagos against the National Assembly and the Clerk of the National Assembly over alleged refusal to disclose key legislative budget and sitting records.

The suit, marked FHC/L/CS/416/26, seeks to compel the National Assembly to release detailed information on its approved budgets for 2023 and 2024, as well as records of plenary sittings held within the last legislative year.

In a statement issued on Sunday and signed by its Communications Manager, Luqman Adamu, the civic tech organisation said the action followed months of unsuccessful attempts to obtain the information through Freedom of Information requests.

“For too long, the inner workings of Nigeria’s highest legislative body have remained shrouded in secrecy,” the group said, noting that despite public commitments by the 10th House of Representatives to mandate the publication of sessional reports and budgets, there had been “a stark lack of action.”

AdvoKC said it tracked the promise through its digital accountability platform, Promise Tracker NG, but found no evidence of compliance.

On January 8, 2026, the foundation submitted two formal FOI requests to the National Assembly.

“We asked for detailed copies of the approved National Assembly budgets for 2023 and 2024, including personnel, overhead, and capital expenditure components, along with corresponding budget performance reports

We also requested the total number of plenary sittings held by both the Senate and the House of Representatives during the last legislative year, as well as details on any joint sittings,” the statement read.

According to the organisation, the FOI Act requires public institutions to respond within seven days.

It alleged that the National Assembly neither provided the requested information nor issued any written notice of refusal as stipulated by law.

“This lawsuit is a necessary step for the preservation of democratic governance,” said the Project Director of AdvoKC Foundation, Habib Sheidu.

“Nigerians have a right to know how their resources are being managed and how often their representatives are actually sitting to conduct the business of the people.

A budget that cannot be tracked is a budget designed not to deliver,” Sheidu stated.

Through the suit, AdvoKC is seeking an Order of Mandamus compelling the National Assembly and its clerk to immediately release the requested documents.

The group is also asking the court to declare that the alleged refusal to provide the information is “wrongful, illegal, and a gross violation of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011, and the 1999 Constitution.

“The information we seek is not exempt from disclosure. It is vital for enhancing public understanding of legislative spending, strengthening civic oversight, and deepening the confidence of Nigerian citizens in their government.”

Describing itself as a youth-led civic tech organisation, AdvoKC said it remained committed to evidence-based advocacy and the use of digital tools to promote transparency and accountability.

“We believe this legal action is in the best interest of justice, fairness, and the future of our democracy,” the organisation stated.

Culled from punch