2024 Budget Padding: Senate suspends Ningi for 3 months; You are on your own, Northern Senators tell Ningi, Senate says no wrongdoing; I’m not afraid of Senate suspension, insists over N3trn is not traced to any project _ Ningi

Senator Abdul Ningi has been suspended Tuesday from the senate for three months following his padding allegation about the 2024 budget.

The lawmaker representing Bauchi Central was suspended during the senate plenary on Tuesday, March 12, 2024, following a call to suspend him by Senator Jimoh Ibrahim.

The Senate, during its plenary deliberated on the matter and many lawmakers submitted that Ningi’s action embarrassed the integrity of the National Assembly.

After a long deliberation, Jimoh Ibrahim, the senator representing Ondo South moved a motion that Ningi be suspended for 12 months. He also proposed that his entitlements and privileges be suspended as well.

Aside plea for a reduced suspension from some Senators, the lawmaker representing Oyo North also urged the Senate to give Ningi the privilege to apologise for his ‘mistake.’

And after putting the amended motion to a voice vote, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio announced Ningi’s suspension from the House for three

Abdul Ningi, the Senator representing Bauchi Central, has insisted on his allegations that the 2024 budget is padded by N3.7 trillion, which he said, is not traceable to any project.

Recall Ningi made this allegation during an interview with the Hausa Service of the British Broadcasting Corporation about a week ago, which has since generated controversy.

The lawmaker reportedly alleged that the Government approved two budgets – N25 trillion approved by the National Assembly and N28 trillion being operated by the Presidency. He reportedly said the budget was also skewed against the North.

Ningi, while addressing the Senate Correspondents on Monday, denied stating that the Federal Government is operating two budgets, noting that his Hausa interview with BBC was translated in error to tarnish his image.

He also said his comments were his personal views and not as Chairman of the Northern Senators’ Forum. The embattled lawmaker, however, maintained that N3.7 trillion in the 2024 budget was not tied to any project.

” I didn’t speak for the Northern Senators forum. The interview I had was in my capacity as a Senator and an opposition Senator. At no time did I say that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is implementing two budgets. There was no time that I said Bola Tinubu was biased against the North. The Hausa version is there. At no time did I say Bola Tinubu is implementing the N25 trillion budget.

“I was speaking on the state of the nation. The first example I made was Former President, Goodluck Jonathan’s failure to dredge the River Niger. I also mentioned former President Buhari for his failure to do anything on Ajaokuta, and Mambilla projects. I said I don’t blame Tinubu for doing what he is doing because while he was campaigning, northern leaders, particularly from his party had not extracted commitment to what he would do for the North if he won. I said that.”

“In the course of perusing the budget, We have established beyond a reasonable doubt, that about N25 trillion so far has nexus in the budget; that means there is money and then there are projects and there is location. But we are yet to ascertain N3 trillion of that budget. We have established the N3 trillion in the budget, but we have not established its location and place. Like I said going forward the budget evaluation is ongoing”, he stated.

Ningi said he is ready to face any consequence for his comments including a possible suspension from the Senate.

“If it is a cross I have to carry, I will carry it. I am not afraid of anything. I believe in one God, I believe what we are doing is temporary. I am not scared of anything like suspension. I have been out of the Senate for ages and people have forced me back. Some of my friends were removed by the Tribunal and are living their lives. If because of what I said I will be suspended, so be it. It will be an honour. For me to be suspended by whatever body for speaking as a parliamentarian will be a very big honour”.

Jimoh Ibrahim, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Inter-Parliamentary Affairs and a member of the Senate Committee on Appropriation, while addressing Senate correspondents on Monday, shortly after Ningi’s briefing debunked the claims by Ningi that the Senate approved two budgets. “We never approved two budgets The Presidency of Nigeria cannot operate two budgets”.

“Senator Ningi made this false information and its unacceptable, its causing uncomfortable pains to our integrity, and integrity of our children and family as people read it all over the world.

The Lawmaker, who represents Ondo South, described Ningi’s budget comment as very embarrassing, adding that the 10th Senate will not just fold its hands and watch. He said if the Senate did not take the above actions against Ningi, within the next seven days, he would ask for an order of mandamus to compel a public officer to do so.

“If the Senate will not move to do that in the next seven days. I will write a letter, and I have started that to the IGP to investigate circumstances leading to approval of two appropriation and culprits to book. And if the IGP will not do it, I will ask for the order of mandamus to compel a public officer to do that”.

Meanwhile, over 50 Senators from 19 Northern States and the Federal Capital Territory, under the aegis of Northern Senators Forum (NSF), have dissociated themselves from allegations by Ahmed Abdul Ningi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), representing Bauchi Central Senatorial District that the 2023 budget is padded by over N3 trillion.

The Forum in a statement on Monday said Ningi, who is the chairman of their forum, was on his own in the claims he made on the BBC Hausa Service on the 2024 budget, adding that the view he expressed is unfortunately skewed, incorrect, and misleading.

The Forum maintained that there was never a time when they held a meeting and mandated Ningi to address the press on the said matter. They said both chambers of the National Assembly diligently and meticulously debated, processed, and passed the proposal of the President. And satisfied with it, the President assented to it.

“It is clear that Mr President presented a budget of N27.5 trillion to the National Assembly and the Assembly passed a budget of N28.7 trillion based on the need to make increases or decreases in the appropriations of the various MDAs which is in tandem with the legislative powers of the National Assembly to address critical projects and services across various sectors.

“Therefore, the statement made by Senator Ningi that the 2024 budget presented to the National Assembly by Mr President was the sum of N25 trillion was not correct and that should not be taken as the position of the Northern Senators Forum”, the statement read.

The Forin stressed that there was no budget padding, Hence, “we strongly and collectively dissociate ourselves from his action which was grossly unparliamentary.”

“That, we, the Northern Senators are solidly behind President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and we will continue to support him to succeed in addressing the challenges facing our country. Nigeria, at this particular moment, does not need ethnic sentiments but collaborations of all to bring prosperity to our beloved country, the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“We will continue to work with our brothers and sisters from the southern part of the country to move our country forward for the benefit of all and sundry” they added.