The Governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed, has stated his full support for Senator Abdul Ningi, who got suspended by the Senate for three months on Tuesday.
On Tuesday, Ningi, the representative for Bauchi Central, got suspended.
He also resigned as Chairman of the Northern Senators’ Forum.
Ningi was suspended after discussing a BBC interview where he said that the National Assembly included N3.7tn in the 2024 budget.
During the interview on Friday, Ningi stated that N3.7tn was not allocated to specific projects in the 2024 budget.
He said, “For the first time in Nigerian history, today we are operating two different budgets. One budget was approved by the National Assembly and signed by President Bola Tinubu and the one was implemented by the presidency.
“The one approved by us is N25tn while the one operating by the Federal Government is ₦28tn.
“Apparently, we discovered N3tn was inserted into the budget for projects without locations. This is the highest budget padding that happened in Nigerian history under Senator Akpabio’s watch.”
Moreover, during a press briefing on Monday, the senator restated the accusation and showed no fear of being suspended.
The Bauchi State Governor, however, expressed his support for the lawmaker.
“In today’s State Executive Council meeting, I made it clear that I stand firm in our support for Senator Abdul Ahmed Ningi, of Bauchi Central,” Mohammed wrote on his official X account on Monday.
He added, “I emphasised the importance of preserving dissent within our political landscape without resorting to punitive actions.
“I am committed to examining Senator Ningi’s situation further. It is common knowledge that Senator Ningi is one of the best performing senators whose heritage and uprightness, ancestry and integrity are worthy of praise.”
Senator Opeyemi Bamidele from Ekiti Central disagreed with Ningi’s claims that the 2024 budget passed by the Senate was padded, calling it a “civilian coup.”
A member of the Appropriation Committee in the Senate, Jimoh Ibrahim, started the motion to suspend Ningi for 12 months due to allegations of criminal misinformation and breach of peace in the National Assembly and the country at large.
However, Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong and Senator Abdulfatai Buhari suggested changes to the motion by Ibrahim.
Ekpenyong, representing Cross River South Senatorial District, proposed reducing the suspension to six months, while Buhari from Oyo North proposed three months.
The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, described Ningi’s offences as “grievous.”
A voice vote was conducted and a majority of the lawmakers voted in support of Ningi’s suspension for three months.
