According to news reports, the Senate on Tuesday moved a motion to suspend Senator Abdul Ningi from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) representing Bauchi-Central – for making false budget padding claims in a BBC interview on Saturday. At a stormy session, Ningi, a former chairman of the Northern Senators Forum (NSF), was suspended for three months by his angry colleagues through a voice vote. Also, Senator Sumaila Kawu (NNPP – Kano South) was warned to desist from spreading false information capable of destabilizing the Senate. The “suspension” and “warning” followed the adoption of a motion on urgent national importance. Ningi, who immediately left the chamber following his suspension, also resigned his position as the NSF chairman in a letter to the secretary of the forum, Senator Sadiq Suleiman (APC – Kwara North).
Furthermore, during the debate, Senator Jarigbe Jarigbe (PDP – Cross River North) alleged that some senators got N500 million as palliative. He said: “All of us are culpable. Some so-called senior senators here got N500 million each from the 2024 Budget. I am a ranking senator. I didn’t get anything. No senator has a right to accuse Senator Ningi.” But, the Chairman of the Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Yemi Adaramodu (APC – Ekiti South), dismissed the claim as false. He added, however, that Jarigbe later recanted, saying that he acted on hearsay.
