The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has urged Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, to explain the inclusion of over N1.3 billion in the 2026 Appropriation Act for a presidential council which the Presidency has reportedly denied its existence.
In a Freedom of Information request dated July 4, 2026, and signed by SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation demanded certified copies of all documents relating to the approval of the N1,302,978,784 allocation made to the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, PFIPC, also identified as the Presidential Economic Advisory Council.
SERAP also called on the leadership of the National Assembly to immediately activate its constitutional oversight powers under Sections 88 and 89 of the Constitution to investigate the circumstances surrounding the allocation, identify those responsible for any irregularities, and determine whether public funds were appropriated for an entity without legal existence.
The organisation further requested documents identifying the National Assembly committees that handled the allocation, the lawmakers involved in the process, and the government officials or representatives who defended the budget proposal during legislative consideration.
In addition, SERAP sought clarification on whether the disputed allocation formed part of the Executive’s original budget submission or was inserted during the legislative appropriation process.
The group also asked whether any lawmaker raised concerns about the legal status or operational mandate of the council and what actions, if any, were taken in response.
The request followed reports that the PFIPC received more than N1.3 billion in
