Breaking: Rowdy session as senators confront Ningi over budget padding allegation

The Senate was thrown into a rowdy session on Tuesday after Sen. Jarigbe Jarigbe (PDP-Cross-River North) disclosed that all ranking senators got the sum of N500 million each.

Jarigbe, at the plenary on Tuesday, made the allegation at the debate of the motion on breach of privilege moved by Sen. Olamilekan Adeola.

Persecondnews reports that Adeola had come under Orders 9, 10, 41, and 51 to move a motion of privilege and issue of national importance against Sen. Abdul Ningi over his interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation (Hausa Services).

Ningi claimed that the nation was operating two appropriation acts while the lawmakers only passed one, accusing the National Assembly of padding the 2024 budget.

The Bauchi senator had told the BBC Hausa service that the president was reportedly running two budgets with N3.7 trillion yet to be accounted for.

Irked by the comment, the Senate, during plenary on Tuesday, demanded answers from Sen. Ningi over his remarks.

Before the plenary, an angry Adeola had demanded an open session.

“No closed door; let’s do it open,” the Ogun West lawmaker said.

When the plenary began, Adeola moved a motion for the matter to be investigated.

While seconding the motion, Senator Joel-Onowakpo Thomas (Delta South) criticized Ningi’s comments.

The member of the Appropriation Committee said the remark is “not only presumptuous, but it is also scandalous and an attempt to incite the public against the National Assembly”.

He said the matter must be investigated to “save the integrity of the Senate and my integrity because all eyes are on us.”.

But Senator Adamu Aliero told Akpabio to ensure a fair hearing on the matter by letting Ningi tell his side of the story.

Ningi, in the interview, was quoted as saying, “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 another was implemented by the Presidency.

“The one approved by us is. N25 trillion, while the one operating by the Federal Government is ₦28 trillion.

“Apparently, we discovered ₦3 trillion was inserted into the budgets for projects without locations. This is the highest budget padding that happened in Nigerian history under Senator Akpabio’s watch.”

The Bauchi senator was further quoted to have said: “We resolved as people representatives to see President Tinubu on this issue, with facts and figures, to ask him if he is aware of this embarrassment or not, and then from there we will take action.

“Let Nigerians be patient with us. This is a national issue; it affects all Nigerians regardless of party, tribe, or religion.”