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.’You can suspend me, I don’t care’
.As Northern Senators Forum dissociates self from allegation
Ignatius Okorocha, Abuja
Embattled Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi central) said on Monday that he still stood by his earlier claims that while National Assembly passed an estimated sum of N28.7trillion for 2024 budget, an estimated N25trillion was the actual figure that has project locations and places.
He added that the where about of N3trillion could not be traced to anywhere.
Senator Ningi made this clarifications on Monday while fielding questions from journalists in Abuja on the allegation of that the National Assembly factored in an estimated N3trillion into the 2024 budget that was signed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s.
According to him,”I said we have established beyond all reasonable doubt about N25trillion so far has nexus in the budget that means that money is attached to the projects and they had location.
“They have project locations but we are yet to ascertain the three trillion of that budget but we established the three trillion in the budget but we have not established locations and places.
“I also said that the budget variation is ongoing. And I said the intention of the Northern Senators as regards the budgetary allocation is to meet the Senate President with our findings and subsequently meet President Bola Ahmed Tinubu with our findings.
“So if one is questioning our desire to relate with Bola Tinubu, how would I say that the findings of the Northern Senators forum will go to Senate President and then Bola Ahmed Tinubu to try narrow me down as a regional person.
” I have never acted as a regional person…..I am proud to say I am a very proud Northern Senator.”
He lamented that his views were mischievously presented by Mr Bayo Ononuga to score cheap political gains.
“First and foremost l never granted my interview in English. The Hausa version of the interview is here with me. Unfortunately those who carried the story through Bayo did it with sole aim of tarnishing my name and Bayo went to the extent of calling me a lier,” he said.
Continuing he said,”At no time did I said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is implementing two budgets. There was no time did I say Bola Tinubu was bias. The Hausa version is there. At no time did I say that Bola Tinubu was implementing N25 trillion budget.
“What I said in my Hausa interview….l was speaking on the state of the nation among other things. In that interview I said my former President, Goodluck Jonathan during his tenure failed to dreg the river Niger. Secondly I mentioned how President Muhammadu Buhari failure to do anything on ajaokuta……
“I came to President Bola Tinubu I said I do not blame him because he is doing what he is doing because Northerns did not hold him on what they want him to do for the if he becomes a President.
I also said that Tinubu knows what it takes to rule a complex country like ours”.
Ningi debunked as false claims in some sections of the media that he was holding brief for Northern Senators forum saying there was never a time he claimed to to speaking for the forum as it’s leader. What he said was his personal view and not the forum.
“First and foremost you see me here, I am not representing the Northern Senators forum. I don’t speak for the Northern Senators forum.
“The interview I had was in my capacity as a senator and as an opposition senator. It has no bearing at all with the Northern Senators on any matter.
Everything that you heard in my House interview has to do with my personal view as a legislator,” he noted.
He finally maintained that he has no regret on what he said concerning the whereabouts of the N3trillion incited into the budget, adding that if the Senate decides to suspend him on his opinion on the 2024 budget he would have no regret.
“I am not scared of what you may hear tomorrow, I am not afraid of any issue like suspension. I have been out of Senate for eight years and our people had to force me back.
” If because I said what I said then I will be suspended, so be it. It will be an honour for me to be suspended which ever body is speaking as a Parliament, it will be very great honour,” Ningi insisted.
.As Northern Senators Forum dissociates self from allegation
However, Disturbed by the alleged N3trillion budget padding claims by it’s leader, Senator Abdul Ningi, the Northern Senators forum on Monday disassociated it’s self from the allegation saying there was no wrongdoing in 2024 budget.
In a statement made available to the media on Monday, the forum signed by Senators:” Aminu Iyal Abass (Adamawa ), Sen Ibrahim Bomo(Yobe), Abdulaziz Yar’Adua(Katsina), Sen Lawal Adamu Usman (Kaduna), Sen Jibril Isah(Kogi) and representatives from other geopolitical zones 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 Senatorial District, 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.
“That there was never a time where we held a meeting and mandated Senator Ningi to address the press on the said matter.
“That the budget was presented to the National Assembly during a joint session of the two chambers – Senate and House of Representatives – by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on November 29, 2023, in line with the requirement of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“That 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.”
The statement further reads,”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.
“That 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 Ahmed 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.”
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