EXCLUSIVE: Senate mulls plans to suspend Ningi over false claims on 2024 budget
Kunle Sanni
Barring any last minute political maneuvering, the Senate may suspend Senator representing Bauchi Central, Abdul Ningi for what has turned out to be his false claims over the 2024 budget.
While speaking to BBC Hausa Service over the weekend, Ningi alleged that President Bola Tinubu is executing a N28trillion budget different from N25trillion he said the National Assembly debated and approved.
He accused the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio and President Tinubu of padding the budget by N3trillion.
The Senate Spokesperson, Yemi Adaramodu and other Senators from the North have come out strongly to refute Ningi’s claims, saying he was speaking for himself and out of the figment of his own imagination.
Chairman of the Appropriation Committee of the Senate, Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, WesternPost gathered shelved a planned Media Briefing to respond to Ningi’s allegations yesterday (Sunday) but the press briefing was called off at the last minute.
Our correspondent, however, learnt that the Appropriation Committee and other Senators are very upset with Ningi over his false allegations and are working to raise the matter as an issue of national importance on the floor of the Senate tomorrow (Tuesday).
“Some of our colleagues are really upset and angry with Senator Ningi. He obviously misfired. We don’t know what he hopes to achieve with his false allegations. The matter will come up tomorrow during plenary and some of our members are mobilising to raise a motion for the suspension of Senator Ningi.
“He falsely accused the President and brought the Senate to disrepute. There was no issue of padding the budget by N3trillion. That was complete falsehood that we will not allow to stand. We will demand and compel him to bring his so-called consultants who will come and show Nigerians the N3trillion and where it was added. The President presented N27.5trillion budget which the National Assembly increased to N28.7trillion. We only raised the capital vote to address our poor infrastructure. The others are statutory transfers to the Judiciary, National Assembly, Ecological Fund, Tetfund and others,” a Senator said.
If the motion for the suspension sails through on the floor, WesternPost learnt that Senator Ningi may be suspended up to between 3 to 6 months to serve as deterrent to others.
