Senate Steps Down Motion on N1.3bn Budget Allocation for Purported Presidential Council

The Senate on Wednesday stepped down a motion seeking an investigation into the budgetary allocation, operations, and controversies surrounding the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, opting instead to await the outcome of an ongoing investigation by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

The motion, sponsored by Senator Suleiman Kawu (APC, Kano South), was raised under a point of order during plenary. Kawu argued that the matter concerned the constitutional oversight responsibility of the National Assembly over the nation’s appropriation process.

Presenting the motion, the lawmaker expressed concern that the purported council, which the Federal Government has reportedly described as non-existent, was allocated ₦1.302 billion in the 2026 Appropriation Act under budget code 01110662001.

According to him, the allocation comprises over ₦800 million for personnel costs, more than ₦200 million for overhead costs, and over ₦300 million for capital expenditure, raising serious questions about the integrity of Nigeria’s budgetary process.

Kawu warned that the inclusion of a purportedly unauthorised or non-existent agency in the national budget could undermine the credibility of the appropriation process, expose weaknesses in budget scrutiny, erode public confidence in the National Assembly, and attract domestic and international criticism over transparency and accountability.

He urged the Senate to condemn what he described as administrative lapses or possible collusion that led to the inclusion of the agency in the 2026 budget. He also called for the Senate Committees on Ethics, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions, alongside the Appropriations Committee, to investigate how the allocation was proposed, processed, justified, and approved, as well as determine whether any funds had been released or any bank accounts opened in connection with the budget line.

Responding, Senate President Godswill Akpabio acknowledged Senator Kawu’s constitutional right to raise the issue under privilege but noted that the Presidency had already directed the ICPC to investigate the matter.

Akpabio said the Senate should allow the anti-corruption agency to conclude its investigation before taking any further legislative action.

“I believe that what we need to do at this stage is to have the report of the ICPC, and then we can act on that report and deal with it as we feel appropriate,” he said.

The Senate President subsequently put the matter to a voice vote, and the majority of senators supported the decision to step down the motion pending the outcome of the ICPC investigation.