Ahead of Tuesday’s plenary; the stage appears set for fireworks in the Senate over the padding allegation of N28.7trillion 2024 budget, made by Senator Abdul Ningi (PDP Bauchi Central).
While Ningi said he stood by what he said within the context of which he said it, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim (APC Ondo South), called on the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to arrest the lawmaker.
And added to his woes, the Northern Senators Forum (NSF) also dissociated themselves from Ningi’s allegation.
…My position remains – Ningi
Addressing journalists Monday in Abuja, Ningi said the N25trillion he mentioned in the BBC Hausa interview granted last week, was money traced to projects and locations out of the N28.7trillion passed by the National Assembly for 2024 fiscal year.
The lawmaker said he never at any point in the interview, accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of running two different budgets or that the National Assembly passed N25trillion budget and the Presidency running N28.7trillion.
“What I said on the N28.7trillion 2024 budget in the State of the Nation Interview I granted the BBC Hausa Service last week, was that from thorough findings made by budget experts, a total of N25trillion are traceable to projects and locations, while N3.7trillion cannot be linked to any project or location.
“This was the context in which I mentioned N25trillion as against Bayo Onanuga and other people accusing me of saying that I said National Assembly passed N25trillion while the Presidency is operating N28.7trillion.
“Yes, both the Senate and the House of Representatives passed N28.7trillion budget for 2024 fiscal year, which was N1.2trillion above the N27.5trillion proposed by President Tinubu. But, after forensic examination on monies earmarked for projects in the budget and locations, only N25trilliion can be accounted for.
“It has been established beyond reasonable doubt that N25trillion so far has nexus in the budget. That means that there is money, there is project and then there is location.
“But we are yet to ascertain N3.7 trillion of that budget. The balance of N3.7trillion is there in the budget without projects or locations to trace it to.
“That was what I said and I stand by it and ready to carry my cross if the Senate wants to suspend me,” he clarified.
…Jimoh wants Ningi arrested
But few minutes after Ningi took his leave of the Senate Press Corps, Ibrahim came for a counter press briefing during which he called on the IGP to arrest Ningi for criminal misinformation and conduct likely to cause breach of peace in the Senate and in Nigeria.
He said: “I have decided as a senator representing good people of Ondo South to ask the Inspector General of Police to as a matter of urgency, charge Ningi for criminal misinformation and conduct likely to cause breach of peace.
He said: “If the Senate will not move to do that within the next seven days, I will write a letter, and I have started that, to the IGP to investigate circumstances leading to approval of two appropriations and to bring culprit to book, and if the IGP will not do it, I will ask for the order of mandamus to compel a public officer to do that.”
When informed that the embattled lawmaker had denied saying two different budgets were passed or being implemented, Ibrahim said Ningi must face the music because he went to the press and made similar complaint to Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
“If he is regretting his lies, he should come out openly to tender apology to the Senate and Nigerians. It’s too late for him to be twisting what he said under the guise of saying it in Hausa language.
“Hausa language is a vast clear language. He shouldn’t hide under it,” he added.
…Northern lawmakers
Also, Ningi’s fellow senators from the North disowned him over the allegation.
In a statement signed by Senator Abbas Aminu Iya (PDP Adamawa Central) and six others, they said: “To the best of our knowledge, there was no budget padding, whatsoever that was done to the 2024 budget.
“The assertion by Senator Ningi that certain things were done to the bill is his personal opinion. It is not the view of the generality of us, the Northern Senators.”
Also, another northern lawmakerand chairman of the Senate Services Committee, Sunday Steve Karimi (APC Kogi West) told Ningi to at least fear God and say the truth, even as he is not afraid of suspension.
Karimi spoke Monday while reacting to the Bauchi lawmaker’s position on the controversy generated over the alleged budget padding.
While urging him to own up to his misinformation, Karimi said the Ningi, in the interview, spoke on behalf of the NSF and not in his individual capacity.
“I advise Senator Ningi to at least fear God if he is not afraid of suspension. He spoke for the NSF and not for himself even though nobody authorized him in the NSF to lie against the Senate,” said the Kogi lawmaker.
Karimi maintained that Ningi was “up to mischief because when they met the Senate President Akpabio requested that they should bring the report so that he would set up a committee to find out if there was anything like that.
“We went to the Senate President as members of the NSF, but since he is on a mission of self-destruct, Senator Ningi decided to go to the media instead of bringing the report to the Senate President to set up a committee to authenticate the veracity of the claims.
“As a former principal officer both in the Senate and the House of Representatives, is Senator Ningi saying he is ignorant of the fact that arrangement of items on the first line charges are not usually lumped together with general items in the budget?
“I must say that Senator Ningi is just trying to engage in red-herring and sow the seed of institutional anarchy.
“As a ranking lawmaker, he should know that organisation of first-line charge items is not lined up on the budget.
“A new legislator could have been forgiven for this invidious tar-brushing but a ranking senator cannot claim ignorance of the organization of budget items,” Karimi insisted.
He also challenged the embattled lawmaker to disclose the source of the N30 million paid to the consultant who did the shoddy job for him.
“No Northern Senator contributed any money to pay any consultant, so where did Senator Ningi get the N30 million he paid the consultant? Senator Ningi should tell Nigerians the source of the N30m he paid to the consultants who have not even delivered on his consultancy since he is talking about transparency,” he said.
