Northern Senators Disown Ningi Over ‘N3 Trillion Budget Padding’, Back Tinubu

Senators from the 19 states in the North have disassociated themselves from claims by the Senator representing Bauchi Central, Abdul Ningi, that the 2024 national budget was padded to the tune of N3 trillion.

Naija News reported that Senator Ningi, speaking on behalf of the Northern Senators’ Forum during an interview with BBC Hausa, alleged that the National Assembly debated and passed N25 trillion as the 2024 budget and not the N28.7 trillion being implemented by the Federal Government.

He said: “Apart from what the National Assembly did on the floor, there was another budget that was done underground, which we didn’t know.

“The new things we have discovered in the budget were not known to us. We haven’t seen them in the budget that was debated and considered on the floor of the National Assembly.

“For example, it was said that there was a budget of N28 trillion, but what was passed was N25 trillion.”

But reacting in a joint statement on Monday in Abuja, the Northern Senators, Aminu Iyal Abbas (Adamawa), Ibrahim Bomai (Borno), Abdulaziz Yar’adu (Katsina), Lawal Adamu Usman (Kaduna), Jibrin Isah (Kogi), Diket Plang (Plateau) and Saliu Mistapha (Kwara) disowned Ningi’s submission and backed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration.

Meanwhile, a member of the Senate Appropriation Committee and representative of Ondo South Senatorial District, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, has vehemently disputed claims made by his colleague Senator Abdul Ningi, asserting that the allegations of two Appropriation Acts are baseless and potentially harmful to the nation’s stability.

Naija News reports that Ibrahim called for legal action against Senator Ningi for alleged criminal misinformation and conduct likely to breach the peace.

During a discussion with Senate correspondents on Monday, Senator Ibrahim emphasized the urgency with which he believes the Federal Government and the Senate should address the matter.

He proposed that Senator Ningi be charged for spreading criminal misinformation and engaging in behaviour that could potentially disturb the peace within the National Assembly and the country at large.

Ibrahim warned that if the Senate does not act within a week, he plans to appeal directly to the Inspector General of Police, urging an investigation into the allegations regarding the approval of two 2024 Appropriation Acts and the identification of those responsible.