‘We Didn’t Buy The SUVs’ — Senate Responds To Court Verdict On ₦110bn Vehicle Deal

The Senate has denied any direct involvement in the controversial procurement of official vehicles for members of the National Assembly, following a Federal High Court judgment that declared the expenditure unlawful.

Senate spokesperson and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, said lawmakers neither initiated nor executed the procurement process and should not be held responsible for any legal issues arising from the acquisition of the vehicles.

Speaking in reaction to the recent court ruling, Adaramodu maintained that procurement decisions within the National Assembly are handled entirely by its administrative bureaucracy.

According to him, the bureaucracy determines the type of vehicles required, oversees procurement procedures and assigns vehicles to lawmakers for official legislative activities.

“The bureaucracy determines and provides official vehicles for committee work and legislative assignments. No vehicle is registered in the name of any senator,” Adaramodu said.

The senator explained that the vehicles remain the property of the Federal Government throughout the tenure of lawmakers and are used strictly for legislative and committee responsibilities.

He added that lawmakers do not personally own the vehicles while in office and can only acquire them through approved government procedures at the end of their tenure if such arrangements are permitted.

“The vehicles are government assets assigned for official duties. Legislators do not purchase them and are not involved in the procurement process,” he said.

Adaramodu argued that any legal challenge relating to procurement should be directed at the departments responsible for carrying out the transactions rather than the legislators who make use of the vehicles in the course of their work.

“Senators were not taken to court. Procurement is handled by the appropriate departments within the National Assembly bureaucracy. Legislators have no role in the purchasing process,” he stated.

The Senate’s response comes weeks after the Federal High Court in Lagos ruled against the National Assembly’s controversial vehicle procurement and allowance scheme valued at approximately ₦110 billion.

In a judgment delivered on May 6, Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa Bogoro held that the expenditure violated procurement regulations, constitutional principles and public trust obligations.

The suit was filed by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) against Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas on behalf of members of both chambers.

The court ordered the leadership of the National Assembly to ensure that future procurement exercises strictly comply with due process, transparency, accountability, and value-for-money principles.

In the ruling, Justice Bogoro expressed concern that lawmakers approved spending from which they directly benefited.

“The beneficiaries of the expenditure are the very officials approving it, and the expenditure confers direct pecuniary and material benefits. This, to my mind, constitutes a case of self-dealing and conflict of interest,” the judge held.

The court also referenced the prevailing economic hardship facing many Nigerians, questioning the justification for such expenditure at a time when citizens were grappling with rising living costs.

“I have taken judicial notice of the economic realities in Nigeria and the widespread financial hardship affecting Nigerian citizens. In this context, the allocation of ₦110 billion for the benefit of lawmakers demonstrates a failure to prioritise national interest,” the judgment stated.

Justice Bogoro further ruled that the expenditure undermined the fiduciary obligations owed by public officials to citizens and was inconsistent with the oath of office sworn by elected representatives.

Despite the court’s findings, Adaramodu insisted that lawmakers should not be blamed for administrative decisions taken by the National Assembly bureaucracy.

He said the legislature operates within established institutional frameworks and procurement procedures, adding that legislators merely carry out their constitutional responsibilities using resources provided by the institution.

The controversy over the vehicle procurement has continued to attract public attention amid growing concerns about government spending, accountability and the welfare of citizens during a period of economic challenges.