Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), who is the chairman of the Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond, has pleaded with Godswill Akpabio, the president of the Senate, and other former governors to halt receiving pension payments in their capacity as former governors.
News.ng gathered that Human rights attorney Falana advised former governors to follow in the footsteps of Gbenga Daniel, the former governor of Ogun State, and Ibrahim Dankwambo, the former governor of Gombe State.
The senior attorney warned other Houses of Assembly to act immediately to terminate the Governors Pension Scheme in light of the actions of the Houses of Assembly in Kwara, Imo, and Zamfara states.
In a statement released on Sunday, Falana also cited the ruling rendered by Justice Oluremi Oguntoyinbo (retd.) on November 26, 2019, which ruled that the previous governors’ pension payments were unlawful and unconstitutional.
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, an advocacy group, was the plaintiff in the lawsuit against the Attorney General of the Federation, contesting the constitutionality of the pensions granted to former Nigerian governors.
In a ruling on a lawsuit with case number FHC/L/CS/1497/2017, Justice Oguntoyinbo ruled that the pension payments were unlawful and unconstitutional, he later instructed the Minister of Justice and the Accountant-General of the Federation to retrieve the life pensions that the former governors who had served as senators and ministers had received.
Falana stated that Daniel and Dankwambo had asked the governors of Ogun and Gombe States to discontinue giving them the scandalous pensions in accordance with both rulings.
“This is highly commendable at a time when the executive and legislative branches of government are home to not less than twenty former governors,” Falana stated.
“Given the aforementioned, we urge Senator Akpabio and other former governors serving in the executive and legislative branches to follow the lead set by Senators Daniel and Dankwambo and immediately refuse the unlawful pension.”
