Uneasy calm at Senate over alleged double budgets

***as Jimoh Ibrahim asks IGP to charge Ningi for criminal misinformation

The allegation of execution of two separate budgets has further divided the Senate, heightening mutual suspicion among colleague senators

Senators expressed divergent views on the matter as some threatened to cause chaos while the issue of suspending senator Abdul Ningi was being contemplated

Senator at a press briefing Monday maintained that projects worth N3.7 trillion could not be traced or located in the N28.7 trillion national budget.

He however pointed out that his interview which was in Hausa with the BBC was misinterpreted even as he said he never spoke on behalf of the Northern Senators Forum.

“I’m not representing 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 on the northern senators position on any matter.
Anything that you heard in my Hausa interview had to do with my personal perspective.”

Ningi also denied report that the Federal Government is implementing two separate budgets.

“At no time did I say Bola Ahmed Tinubu is implementing N25 trillion budget.
I said we have established beyond reasonable doubt that about N25 trillion so far has nexus in the budget. That means that there is money, there is project and then there is location.
“But we are yet to ascertain N3 trillion of that budget. We have established the N3 trillion of that budget, we have not established its location and the place.”

The lawmaker who had served as Majority Leader in the House of Representatives and Deputy majority leader in the Senate said he was not scared of threats of suspension from the Senate.

According to him, “if speaking the truth will attract suspension to me, I will be honoured”.

“What the President proposed to the senate are proposals’ what the senate passes is appropriation. There is no way I will talk about N25tr and N28tr. The President has no powers for appropriation. It is even a misnormal for the executive to tell the National Assembly members, we are bringing a budget and don’t touch it, it is a misnormal; the constitution is clear on who has the power for appropriation. I couldn’t have said what they have suggested. There is no way a President will implement budget that is not passed by the National assembly” He explained.

In what appeared as another twist, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim (APC, Ondo South) asked the Inspector-General of Police to immediately charge Ningi for what he called criminal misinformation.

Senator Jimoh Ibrahim said it is very embarrassing to say that
the Presidency of Nigeria is operating two budgets and this is very embarrassing.

“We of the 10th Senate cannot just fold our hands and be looking. This is not true, the Senate and the National Assembly approved only one appropriation act for 2024 and we never approved two.

According to him, “What Ningi said about the Appropriation Act of 2024 is unacceptable, causing uncomfortable pains to our integrity; our children and our family as people will read it. It is all over the world.

Ibrahim said he “has been receiving text messages from Alumni of Oxford and Cambridge did you do two budgets. I have decided as a senator representing the good people of Ondo South to ask the Inspector General of Police and the Federal Government to as a matter of urgency charge Ningi for misinformation, criminal misinformation of course, and misconduct likely going to cause the breach of peace.

“If the senate will not move to do that within the next seven days, I will write a letter and I have started that to the IGP to investigate the circumstances leading to the approval of two appropriations in 2024 and bring the culprit to book. If the IGP will not do it I will ask for the order of Mandamus to compel a public officer to do that which he aught to do in accordance with the law
What I want to mention to you today is that we have two appropriations, and that Senator Ningi must be charged to court for breach of peace and criminal misinformation” He stressed.

Meanwhile, seven Senators issued a statement on behalf of the Northern Senators Forum yesterday to disown Ningi.

The statement was signed by Senators Aminu Iyal Abbas (Adama); Ibrahim Bamai(Yobe) Abdul Azeez Yar’Adua (Katsina); Lawal Adamu Usman(Kaduna); Jibri Isah (Kogi); Diket Plang( Plateau); and Sliu Mustapha(Kwara)

It was titled “There’s no wrongdoing in 2024 budget, Northern Senators dissociate selves from Senator Ningi’s padding allegation” the Northern senators said “the view Ningi expressed was his personal opinion, sentiment and unfortunately skewed, incorrect and misleading”

The lawmakers submitted that
there was never a time where Northern senators held a meeting and mandated Senator Ningi to address the press on the said matter.
They further said 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.
• “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”.

End