*Denies him of participating in any Senate activity
*Ningi engaged in criminal misinformation and breach of peace, says Sen. Jimoh Ibrahim
The Senate has suspended Abdul Ningi, senator representing Bauchi-Central senatorial zone, for making unsubstantiated allegations that the 2024 budget was padded by N3trn.
The Senator was handed a three-month suspension by his colleagues, who said his false statements tarnished the image of the nation’s highest legislative house.
He was also banned from partaking in every other activity of the Senate during the period of the suspension.The Senate also cautioned Sen. Suleiman Kawu and demanded an apology from him for posting the said budget padding false news on the internet, stressing the act constituted misinformation to the public.
However, Ningi’s suspension followed the amendment of the motion by Sen. Solomon Adeola Olamilekan (Ogun-West) by Sen. Jimoh Ibrahim which set the ball for the debate.
Adeola had come under Orders 9,10,41, and 51 of the Senate Standing Orders 2022 as Amended, and read out the transcription of the interview granted to the BBC Hausa Service.
Stating that Ningi has maintained that about N3 trillion in the budget wasn’t allocated to anything, Adeola stated that his privilege as a Senator has been breached since he would be perceived by the public as among those who participated in the preparation of the budget, even as he reiterated that: “with what has transpired in the last three days, my privilege has been breached.”
Sen. Ningi when asked to defend himself, said he had documents to prove the anomalies.
In an interview with BBC Hausa Service last weekend, Ningi, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),l said the 2024 budget was padded and that President Bola Tinubu is currently implementing two sets of budgets.
While also being quoted in the interview he had with BBC Hausa recently that the sum of N3.7 trillion could not be traced to projects, Ningi was also said to have made the following statements: “For example, we had a budget of N28 trillion, but after our thorough checks, we found out it was a budget of N25 trillion. How and where did we get the additional N3 trillion from and what are we spending it for?”
After a rowdy session, a member of the Appropriation Committee in the Senate, Sen. Jimoh Ibrahim, first moved the motion for Senator Ningi’s suspension for 12 months over allegations of criminal misinformation and breach of peace in the National Assembly and the country by extension.
However, other lawmakers including Sen. Asuquo Ekpenyong moved for the mitigation of the punishment to six months, while Sen. Abdulfatai Buhari from Oyo-North prayed for a further reduction to three months.
President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, who described Sen. Ningi’s offences as grievous, ruled in favour of a voice vote for Ningi’s suspension for three months.
The aspect of lifting the suspension after a written apology from Ningi was kept silent.
Immediately after the pronouncement, Sen. Ningi picked up his books, stood up and was led out of the floor of the Senate by one of the Sergeants-at-Arms.
Recalled that the Presidency and some Senators reacted angrily to Sen. Ningi’s allegations, describing his claims as “far-fetched and unbecoming of a leader of his status.”
In December 2023, the two arms of the National Assembly passed the 2024 appropriation bill, increasing its size from N27.5 trillion proposed by Tinubu to N28.7 trillion.
The budget had N1.7 trillion as statutory transfers, N8.7 trillion as recurrent expenditure, and N9.9 trillion as capital expenditure. Ningi had while addressing the Senate Press Corps (SPC) on Monday, denied speaking for the Northern Senators Forum (NSF) as their leader, but insisted the budget was padded, though denying ecer saying the presidency was operating two budgets.
