Stage for fireworks in Senate during plenary on Tuesday over alleged padding of the N28.7trillion 2024 budget by Senator Abdul Ningi (PDP Bauchi Central), was set on Monday with call for his arrest by the Inspector – General of Police by Senator Jimoh Ibrahim (APC Ondo South).
This is even as Northern Senators Forum in jointly signed statement by seven Senators, disassociated themselves from Senator Abdul Ningi’s allegation.
In getting set for the fireworks, Senator Ningi, addressed journalists covering the Senate by saying that 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.
He said he never in the interview , accused President Bola 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 , 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 N25 trillion 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 carry my cross if the Senate wants to suspend me,” he said.
But few minutes after the exit of Ningi from the Press Centre, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim came for a counter press briefing, where he called on the Inspector General of Police 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.
“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 I’ll not do it, I will ask for the order of mandamus to compel a public officer to do that.
When informed that Senator Ningi had denied saying two different budgets were passed or being implemented, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim said Ningi must face the music because he went to the press, he made similar complaint to the Senate President and cautioned to be careful.
“If he is regretting his lies, he should come out openly to tender apology to the Senate and Nigerians . Is 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 hid under it,” he added.
Also lampooning Ningi, his fellow Senators from the North under the aegis of Northern Senators Forum , totally disowned him over the allegation .
In a statement signed by Senator Abbas Aminu Iya (PDP Adamawa Central) and six others, 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”.
