You are on your own, Northern Senators tell Ningi on budget padding claim

…says there’s no wrongdoing in 2024 budget

Over 50 Senators from 19 Northern States and the Federal Capital Territory, under the aegis of Northern Senators Forum (NSF), have dissociated themselves from allegations by Ahmed Abdul Ningi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), representing Bauchi Central Senatorial District that the 2023 budget is padded by over N3 trillion.

The Forum in a statement on Monday said Ningi, who is the chairman of their forum, was on his own in the claims he made on the BBC Hausa Service on the 2024 budget, adding that the view he expressed is unfortunately skewed, incorrect, and misleading.

The Forum maintained that there was never a time when they held a meeting and mandated Ningi to address the press on the said matter. They said 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 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”, the statement read.

The Forin stressed that there was no budget padding, 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” they added.