Northern governors and some other stakeholders are pressurising President Bola Tinubu to ensure the removal of Senate President Godswill Akpabio or face dire political consequences.
It was gathered that the suspension of Ningi was heating the political scene, which had started to get to President Tinubu. According to some top sources in the National Assembly, the heat generated by the budget padding controversy had gone beyond what was anticipated by Senate President Akpabio.
Recall that Senator Ningi, representing Bauchi-Central senatorial district, on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), recently alleged that the 2024 budget had been padded-up to the tune of ₦3.7 trillion.
The lawmaker alleged that the Senate leadership padded the budget currently being implemented instead of the one passed by the National Assembly. The allegation generated public outrage, but the lawmaker however insisted that N3.7 trillion could not be accounted for in the 2024 Budget.
Ningi alleged that there were two budgets in circulation and that the one currently being implemented was not the one passed by the National Assembly. In a BBC Hausa Service interview, he alleged that President Tinubu’s government was executing a budget significantly higher than what was passed by the National Assembly. He insisted that the N25 trillion budget was debated and passed, not the N28.7 trillion that was being implemented.
However, the Presidency, through a statement issued by Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, had described Senator Ningi’s claims as false. Onanuga insisted that President Tinubu never presented a Budget of N25 trillion on November 29, 2023, but a Budget of N27.5 trillion to the joint session of the National Assembly, made up of N9.92 trillion Recurrent Expenditure, Debt service – N8.25 trillion, and Capital expenditure – N8.7 trillion.
Recall that the lawmaker representing Cross-River (North) senatorial district, Senator Agom Jarigbe, revealed that some senior senators received N500 million each from the Budget. Senator Jarigbe made the revelation on the floor of the Senate last Tuesday, amid controversy following the budget-padding allegations made by Senator Ningi.
Many Nigerians have slammed the leadership of Senate President, Godswill Akpabio for the alleged fraud. Following a rowdy session on Tuesday, the Senate suspended Senator Ningi for three months over the budget-padding allegation. Shortly after Ningi’s suspension, President Tinubu met with Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Deputy Senate President, Jibrin Barau and some other lawmakers behind closed doors at the State House.
Meanwhile, a civic group, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), has vowed to take legal action against the Senate over Ningi’s suspension. Also, it was learnt that some prominent Northerners has asked President Tinubu to make Akpabio divert part of the controversial N3.7 trillion to projects in the region, to balance the alleged lopsidedness.
Amid all this, unconfirmed reports said that President Tinubu had issued an ultimatum to Akpabio to re-instate the suspended Senator Ningi.