ALDRAP to sue President Tinubu and the National Assembly for failure to comply with the Constitution in enactment of the National Anthem Act, 2024″

“ALDRAP to sue President Tinubu and the National Assembly for failure to comply with the Constitution in enactment of the National Anthem Act, 2024”

Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners-ALDRAP, an Abuja based professional Association of lawyers is filing a lawsuit at the Federal High Court to challenge the National Anthem Act, 2024 because of the following reasons:

(1) no public hearing was held before the said legislation was enacted as required under Section 60 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution;

(2) members of the public were not invited to make their contributions, as was done when the other National Anthem was enacted in the year 1978.

(3) There was no letter of transmission of the said Bill from the President to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, National Assembly;

(4) The expenditures associated with the National Anthem Act, 2024 (which was done on 29th May 2024 and on other dates) are not captured in the Budget of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Act, 2024 (as can be attested to by the Accountant-General of the Federation) and therefore the said National Anthem Act, 2024 should be declared illegal;

(5) Additionally, the said National Anthem Act, 2024 should be declared illegal because it will cause enormous amounts of money and expenses on citizens to comply with this new law (costs of man-hours, changes to official documents and other associated costs of learning the new national anthem is too exorbitant on ordinary citizens without any corresponding increase in their minimum wage.

Attorney-General of Bendel State vs. Attorney-General of the Federation (1981) is the major grounds of our application: any law that fails to comply with each stage of the.legislative procedures of Law-Making as prescribed under the 1999 Nigerian Constitution, would be declared null and void and of no effect.

PARTIES ARE:

1.incorporated Trustees of the Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners-ALDRAP-Plaintiff

Vs.

1. President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,

2. The President of the Senate, National Assembly;

3. Speaker, House of Representatives, National Assembly;

4. Clerk to the National Assembly;

5. National wages and Salaries Commission;

6. Revenue and Fiscal Allocation Commission;

7. Accountant-General of the Federation