SERAP’s Had Enough—They’re Taking the CCB to Court
By: Abudu Olalekan
You know how it goes. Lawmakers promise one thing, do another behind closed doors, hope nobody notices. Well, SERAP noticed, they’re not playing nice anymore.
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project just filed a bombshell lawsuit against the Code of Conduct Bureau. Why? Because the bureau apparently sat on its hands while lawmakers allegedly fiddled with the Electoral Act and tax reform laws. Classic case of who watches the watchers, right?
Filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja—case number FHC/ABJ/CS/634/2026, those numbers are always a mouthful—the suit is basically SERAP’s way of saying “do your damn job.” They want a court order forcing the CCB to investigate claims that certain lawmakers straight-up removed key sections about electronic transmission of election results from the Electoral Act Amendment Bill. Just… poof. Gone.
Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP’s Deputy Director, put out a statement Sunday that didn’t mince words. They’re asking for what’s called an “order of mandamus”—fancy legal talk for “make them move.”
But that’s not all.
SERAP also wants the bureau to dig into allegations that some lawmakers and executive branch officers messed with tax reform bills. The result? What got passed by the National Assembly and what got gazetted by the Federal Government don’t match up. Convenient, huh?
The group’s pushing for any violations found to be sent straight to the Code of Conduct Tribunal for prosecution, no slaps on the wrist, real consequences.
“Granting the reliefs sought would help address critical concerns relating to conflict of interest, abuse of office, non-disclosure of interests, and reinforce adherence to due process,” the statement read. Which is bureaucrat-speak for “this is about stopping corruption.”
SERAP’s argument is simple: when lawmaking gets shaped by personal interests, it stops being legitimate. “Where lawmaking is shaped by abuse of office and conflict of interest, it ceases to be a legitimate exercise of constitutional and fiduciary responsibility,” they said. Hard to argue with that.
They also pointed to the Code of Conduct for Public Officers—which, by the way, mandates transparency and accountability. “Public officers hold their offices in trust for the people and must not deploy official power for personal or sectional advantage,” the statement added. Basically, don’t use your position to fatten your wallet.
The organization even cited constitutional provisions about fighting corruption and enforcing ethical standards. You know, the stuff everyone agrees on in theory but forgets in practice.
According to SERAP, the allegations are pretty specific. Lawmakers supposedly removed provisions on electronic transmission of election results during plenary—just whisked them away without due process. And those tax reform bills? The versions that became law somehow looks different from what parliament actually passed.
The question now is whether the CCB will actually investigate, or if this lawsuit is the only thing that can pry them into action. SERAP’s betting on the courts to force the issue. And honestly? Given the track record, they might be right to sue.
