By Emmanuel Nduka
There were crazy scenes in the Nigerian Senate on Tuesday, after Senate President Godswill Akpabio suspended Senator Abdul Ningi over allegations of N3.7trn padding of the 2024 Budget.
Heritage Times HT reports that Senator Ningi representing Bauchi Central Senatorial District, was suspended for three months after a long stormy session in the Upper Chamber of Nigeria’s legislature House.
A member of the Appropriation Committee in the Senate, Jimoh Ibrahim, first moved the motion for 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 like Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong moved for the amendment of the motion by Ibrahim. Ekpenyong, who is from Cross River South Senatorial District; and Senator Abdulfatai Buhari from Oyo North prayed for the reduction of the suspension to six and three months respectively.
Akpabio, who described Ningi’s offences as “grievous”, conducted a voice vote during which most of the lawmakers voted in support of Ningi’s suspension for three months.
Heritage Times HT recalls that in a recent media interview, Ningi had claimed that the Nigerian Government is operating two versions of the 2024 budget and that the N28.7 trillion Budget passed and signed into law by President Bola Tinubu was skewed against the North.
Several Senators and the Presidency had pounced on Ningi, describing his claims as “far-fetched and unbecoming of a leader of his status”.
Ningi would later deny saying that the country is operating two budgets but insisted that only N25trn of the budget was tied to projects while N3.7trn had no project tied to it.
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He had on Monday said he was ready to carry his cross, even if it means suspension from the upper legislative chamber.
The tensions were further escalated when Senator Jaribe Agom representing Cross River North Central while debating Senator Ningi’s budget padding claims, alleged that some senior senators got N500 million each while he didn’t get any.
His microphone was however muted immediately on the order of the Senate leadership.
Senior senators were reportedly on the side of Akpabio in the disturbing scenarios that have now put the credibility of the Nigerian Senate in question.
