Senators from the North have disowned the statement made by the Forum’s Chairman, Senator Abdul Ningi, alleging that the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was implementing an unapproved and padded budget of N28 trillion instead of N25 trillion the Senate approved for 2024.
Senators Iyal Abbas from Adamawa, Ibrahim Bomoi from Yobe, Abdullahi Yar’Adua, and four others, issued a statement on Monday distancing legislators from the zone from Ningi.
The Presidency on Sunday cleanly faulted the claim by Senator Ningi.
Meanwhile, Senator Abdul Ningi represents Bauchi Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly, has himself alleged the statement he made on BBC Hausa Service had been distorted by subsequent media reports.
The Northern senators’ statements said: “We, the undersigned on behalf of the Senators from the 19 Northern States and the FCT, under the aegis of Northern Senators Forum (NSF), hereby state that Senator Ahmed Abdul Ningi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP, Bauchi Central), who also happens to be the chairman of our forum, was on his own in the claims he made on the BBC Hausa Service on the 2024 budget.
“As such, the view he expressed was his personal opinion, sentiment and unfortunately skewed, incorrect and misleading.
“There was never a time where we held a meeting and mandated Senator Ningi to address the press on the said matter.
“The budget was presented to the National Assembly during a joint session of the two chambers – Senate and House of Representatives – by President Bola Tinubu on November 29, 2023, in line with the requirement of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“Both chambers of the National Assembly diligently and meticulously debated, processed and passed the proposal of the President. And satisfied with it, the President assented to it.
“It is clear that Mr President presented a budget of N27.5 trillion to the National Assembly and the Assembly passed a budget of N28.7 trillion based on the need to make increases or decreases in the appropriations of the various MDAs, which is in tandem with the legislative powers of the National Assembly in order to address critical projects and services across various sectors.
“Therefore, the statement made by Senator Ningi that the 2024 budget presented to the National Assembly by Mr President was the sum of N25 trillion was not correct and that should not be taken as the position of the Northern Senators Forum.
“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.
“Hence, we strongly and collectively dissociate ourselves from his action which was grossly unparliamentary.
“That, we, the Northern Senators are solidly behind President Bola Tinubu and we will continue to support him to succeed in addressing the challenges facing our country.
“Nigeria, at this particular moment, does not need ethnic sentiments but collaborations of all to bring prosperity to our beloved country, the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“We will continue to work with our brothers and sisters from the southern part of the country to move our country forward for the benefit of all and sundry.”
Senator Abdul Ningi, who represents Bauchi Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly, has made a U-turn regarding some claims he made regarding the 2024 Appropriation Act.
Speaking with Senate correspondents on Monday, the Chairman of the Northern Senators’ Forum said he was ready to carry his cross, even if it meant being suspended from the Red Chamber.
Ningi claimed he never suggested the President was implementing two budgets or that he was biased against the North.
According to him, the utterance he made had not been made as Chairman of the Northern Senators’ Forum.
He said it had been established beyond doubt that N25trn was rightly allocated in the budget, citing three parameters (money, project and location) but cannot ascertain the project location for the other N3trn.
However, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim (APC, Ondo South Senatorial District) has asked the Federal Government to charge Ningi to court for criminal misinformation and breach of peace in the National Assembly and the country by extension.
