N3.7trn Allegation: Don’t cover up with Ningi’s suspension, review 2024 budget- Group urges Senate
By Umar Yakubu
The amalgamation of Bauchi state concern group has demanded that the Senate review the 2024 budget and all anomalies therein be corrected with immediate effect.
The group frowned at the suspension of Senator Abdul Ahmed Ningi, senator representing Bauchi’s central senatorial district describing his suspension as a move by the senate to cover the unexplainable over N3.7trn in the budget.
SOLACEBASE reports that the group who stated this at a news conference held at the secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Bauchi state Council on Tuesday said the suspension is unlawful and undemocratic.
The chairman of the amalgamation, Umar Sa’id Maigamo said, “We consider this decision as premeditated, hasty, unlawful, and undemocratic on several grounds.
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“You may wish to recall that Senator Abdul Ningi in an attempt to express his legislative and constitutional rights granted an interview to the BBC Hausa Service where he raised pertinent issues regarding the 2024 budget.
In the said interview, the senator revealed that there were some abnormalities in the budget where he specifically stated that the sum of 3.7 trillion naira could not be traced to any projects or location in the 2024 budget.
Senator Ningi’s assertion was corroborated by several professional groups including a renowned civil society organization promoting accountability and transparency in public spending in Nigeria.
However, in a rare display of injustice, and disdain for the rule of law and democratic tenets, the Senate President, Senator Godswill at the plenary held on 12th March 2024 announced the suspension of Senator Abdul Ahmed Ningi for 3 months,” he explained.
The group maintained that, following a motion moved by Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola representing Ogun West, who alleged that his privilege as a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria had been breached by the assertion of Senator Abdul Ningi concerning the 2024 budget and instead of giving Senator Abdul Ningi a fair hearing or in the alternative order for a forensic analysis of the entire budget, the Senate went ahead to execute its premeditated action.
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“We view the action of the Senate as an attempt not only to conceal the truth but to prevent the senator from exercising his legislative duties and constitutional rights.
“On this note, we wish to draw the attention of all Nigerians to the diversionary antics by the leadership of the Senate to cover up the mess by turning the issue into a North and South dichotomy.
Specifically, Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele (Senate Majority Leader), representing Ekiti Central stood up on the floor of the Nigerian Senate to proclaim that he was addressing the same Senate as a “Southern Senator alleging that there was a Northern plot to sabotage and remove Akpabio for no reason other than that he is from the South.
This shows that Senator Bamidele is a poor student of history because several Senate Presidents of southern extraction have been fully supported by Northerners.”
He reflects on history revealing that since independence, the North has been supporting the emergence of Senate Presidents from the South mentioning among others, Dennis Osadebey 1960-1963, Nwafor Orizu 1963-1966, Joseph Wayas 1979-1983, Evans Enwerem 1900, Chuba Okadigbo 1990-2000,
Anyim Plus Anyim 2000-2003, Adolphus Wabara 2003-2005, Ken Nnamani 2005-2007, Godswill Akpabio 2023-date.”
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The group on the contrary said, “Senator Abdul Ningi being a patriotic, experienced, and high-ranking legislator than Bamidele and his likes, neither addressed himself as a Northern Senator nor linked the 3.7 trillion naira to any section of the country.
“We wish to draw the attention of all Nigerians to the allegation made by Senator Agom Jarigbe, representing Cross River North in the plenary that some ranking senators received the sum of 500 million naira each excluding himself but were prevented from speaking further by deliberately turning off his microphone.
“We commend Senator Ningi for his courage, doggedness, and patriotism in exposing the inadequacies in the budget.”
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The group then condemns and rejects in totality the action of the Senate insisting that it is undemocratic.
They demand that the Senate President immediately step aside and allow Investigation of the allegations in line with the rules of the Senate, the Senate should immediately withdraw the illegal and
undemocratic suspension of Senator Ningi and tender an unreserved apology to the senator and the good people of Bauchi Central Senatorial District whom he ably represents, order for an investigation into the allegation of 500 million naira given to some selected ranking senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and that the 2024 budget be reviewed and all anomalies therein be corrected with immediate effect.
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