Anita Ogona
The Senate has recalled Abdul Ningi (PDP, Bauchi Central) who was suspended for accusing its leadership of fraudulently smuggling projects into the 2024 budget.
Senator Ningi was suspended on 12 March for saying the leadership of the Senate inserted some questionable projects in the 2024 budget.
The upper chamber announced Mr Ningi’s recall after it resumed from a close-door session which lasted for over one hour.
The resolution to recall the senator was a sequel to a motion sponsored by the Minority Leader, Abba Moro, during the plenary on Tuesday.
The lawmaker had claimed that he sought the services of a private auditor to review the budget and discovered some projects that do not have locations.
This newspaper reviewed the proposed 2024 budget, the approved budget and Mr Ningi’s document which he used as a reference and discovered several projects worth billions of naira without specific locations and proper descriptions.
At the time he made the claim, Mr Ningi was the chairman of the Northern Senators Forum (NSF).
Mr Moro, while presenting the motion, said the Senate minority caucus takes full responsibility for the ‘offence’ of Mr Ningi.
He thereafter apologized to the Senate leadership on behalf of Mr Ningi.
“Flowing from the above, the Senate minority leadership takes full responsibility for the actions of our colleague Senator Abdul Ahmed Ningi and apologizes on his behalf,” the minority leader said.
The majority of the senators supported the motion to recall Mr Ningi from suspension through a voice vote.
The Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, who seconded the motion urged his colleagues to pardon the Bauchi senator in order to strengthen brotherhood and unity in the chamber.
Mr Jibrin commended the minority caucus of the Senate for apologising on behalf of Mr Ningi.
Sen. Victor Umeh, OFR (LP, Anambra Central) also supported that Mr Ningi should be recalled from suspension
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