The suspended Senator, Abdul Ningi By Ammar Muhammad Rajab It is now 47 days since the suspension of Senator Abdul Ningi (PDP; Bauchi) for...
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| The suspended Senator, Abdul Ningi |
By Ammar Muhammad Rajab
It is now 47 days since
the suspension of Senator Abdul Ningi (PDP; Bauchi) for three months for
alleging that Nigeria’s 2024 budget was padded at a media interview.
DAILY STRUGGLE reports
that Ningi was suspended by the leadership of the Senate on 12th March 2024
Weeks later, Ningi,
through Femi Falana, his counsel, gave Senate President Godswill Akpabio a
seven-day ultimatum to lift his suspension from the upper legislative chamber.
The lawmaker said he would approach a federal high court for his reinstatement
if the suspension is not lifted within seven days.
However, there has been
no information about Ningi approaching the court to challenge his suspension.
CONTROVERSY SURROUNDING THE 2024 BUDGET
The controversy
surrounding the 2024 budget was re-ignited by this allegation that it was
padded to the tune of about N3.7 trillion, representing more than 10% of the
N28.78 trillion budget.
Ningi’s suspension
followed a motion of “urgent national importance” moved by the Chairman of the
Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, to
address the allegation by Senator Ningi. Following a lengthy debate, the Senate
resolved to suspend Senator Ningi over what it calls “violations of legislative
rules, allegations of misconduct, and unethical behaviour for the interview he
granted on BBC Media on the 2024 Appropriation Act.”
PRESSURE TO THE SENATE LEADERSHIP
DAILY STRUGGLE reported
that a day after his suspension, pressure began to mount on the Senate
leadership to discontinue the suspension.
On 13th March, 2024,
the constituents of the Bauchi Central Senatorial District condemned, in its
entirety, the decision of the Senate to suspend their senator, Abdul Ningi, for
three months. They described his suspension as a result of his sincere concern
about irregularities in the 2024 national budget.
Reacting to his
suspension, the constituents, under the aegis of Youth Coalition of Bauchi
Central Senatorial District said rather than suspending Ningi, the Red Chamber
should instead investigate the irregularities he raised with a view to
addressing them in the best interest of the country. The coalition, at a press
conference led by its chairman, Nazeef Abdullahi Rio, in Bauchi on Thursday,
asked the Senate to rescind the suspension.
If the Senate fails to
meet our demands within two weeks, as constituents of the Bauchi Central
Senatorial District, we will have no option but to take legal action to ensure
that our constitutional rights are upheld," the coalition concluded.
However, there were no reports that the constituents sued the Senate
leadership.
Also, on the same day,
a People Redemption Party, PRP, Senatorial candidate for Kaduna-North in 2023,
Abdullahi Ahmed Wakili, strongly condemned what he described as “the hasty
suspension” of Senator Abdul Ahmed Ningi by the Nigerian Senate.
According to him, the
allegations of budget padding, amounting to a staggering N3 trillion are of
utmost concern and should be thoroughly investigated before arriving at any
conclusions.
In a statement he
personally issued on Wednesday in Kaduna, he said, “I strongly condemn the
hasty suspension of esteemed Senator Abdul Ahmed Ningi by the Nigerian Senate.
While we must uphold the integrity of our legislative body, it is crucial to
ensure due process and fairness. The allegations of budget padding, amounting
to a staggering 3 trillion Naira, are of utmost concern and should be
thoroughly investigated before arriving at any conclusions.”
“We must maintain
transparency and accountability in our governance, and this includes addressing
allegations of financial misconduct,” he stated.
The ACF, through its
National Publicity Secretary, Prof Tukur-Baba, in a statement in Kaduna, on
16th March, 2024, said the process which culminated in Ningi’s suspension
appeared rushed “looking more on the messenger rather than his message.”
The Arewa Advancement
for Peace and Development Initiative also condemned the suspension, and demanded
that the Senate lift the suspension, and reinstate Senator Ningi while the
Executive arm of government should investigate the claim so that Nigerians can
know the truth.
In a statement issued
in Jos on Thursday and signed by Alhaji Alhassan Sabo and Dr. Susan Ogbaji, three
days after the suspension of the senator, the group’s Chairman and Secretary
respectively said, the allegation has exposed that the Executive arm of
government is always blamed for the fault of others who are entrusted with
leadership positions.
In the same vein, a
pressure group, under the platform of South East Youth Forum (SEYF), condemned
in strong terms, the hasty suspension handed down on Senator Abdul Ningi.
The group expressed
disappointment that instead of investigating the veracity of Ningi’s claims, the
Senate quickly suspended him, demanding that the lawmaker be immediately
restored to his position and the “unlawful suspension,” reversed.
In a statement signed
by President of SEYF, Comrade Engr. Gerald Isiwu, made available to newsmen on Friday
in Enugu, the group pointed out that instead of suspending him for speaking the
truth, Ningi, “deserves to be next president of Nigeria.”
The Rebuild Arewa
Initiative for Development (RAID) has also strongly criticised the Senate’s
decision to suspend Senator Abdul Ningi.
In a press conference
held in Abuja, RAID called for the immediate and unconditional reinstatement of
Senator Ningi, affirming the gravity of his suspension and its implications for
democratic principles.
“This suspension
extinguished the senator’s esteemed privileges and effectively muted a voice
that had become a staple in our political discourse,” he said.
PROTEST IN HIS CONSTITUENCY
There was a protest in
Senator Abdul Ningi's constituency following his suspension by the Senate. The
stakeholders of the main opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) have
embarked on a peaceful protest in Ningi Local Government Ares against the
suspension of Senator Abdul Ahmed Ningi.
The peaceful protest
was received by the chairman of the party in the Local Government Area, Mr. Dan
Lamin, who described the suspension as “uncalled for and undemocratic.”
The protesters, who
were mainly youths under the coalition of PDP Youths Groups in the area,
expressed their anger over the suspension of their member and representative at
the Senate.
SERAP SUES AKPABIO ‘OVER FAILURE TO RECALL NINGI’
The Socio-Economic
Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against the
Senate President, Mr Godswill Akpabio over “the failure to refer the alleged
N3.7 trillion budget padding to appropriate anti-corruption agencies for
investigation and prosecution, and to recall Senator Abdul Ningi who blew the
whistle on the allegations.”
Mr Akpabio is sued for
himself and on behalf of all members of Nigeria’s Senate.
In the suit number
FHC/ABJ/CS/452/2024 filed last Friday at the Federal High Court, Abuja, SERAP
is seeking: “an order of mandamus to direct and compel Mr Akpabio to refer the
alleged N3.7 trillion budget padding to appropriate anti-corruption agencies
for investigation and prosecution of suspected perpetrators.”
SERAP is also seeking:
“an order of mandamus to direct and compel Mr Akpabio to immediately take steps
to ensure the reinstatement of whistleblower Abdul Ningi who was suspended from
the Senate over his allegations that the lawmakers padded the 2024 budget by
irregularly inserting projects worth N3.7 trillion.”
The rights group also
urged Akpabio “to make a public commitment to discontinue the patently unlawful
constituency projects in the next budget cycle.”
In the letter dated 16
March 2024 and signed by SERAP deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the
organisation said: “Referring these allegations to appropriate anticorruption
agencies would be consistent with the lawmakers’ oath of office and the letter
and spirit of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended].”
VISITS TO THE SUSPENDED SENATOR
On Friday, March 22nd,
2024, former Kaduna State Governor Malam Nasiru El-Rufai paid a solidarity
visit to the residence of suspended Senator Abdul Ningi in Abuja.
Recently on Monday, 22nd
April, 2024, Atiku Abubakar, former vice-president, visited Abdul Ningi, the
suspended lawmaker representing Bauchi central district in the senate.
Abubakar visited the PDP
lawmaker at his residence in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
“During a solidarity
visit to Sen. Abdul Ningi, representing Bauchi Central Senatorial District, I
stressed the importance of preserving the integrity of government institutions
if the interests of Nigerians are to be better served and the envisaged
development attained,” Abubakar wrote in a post on X.
“I assured Sen. Ningi
that he is not alone in the battle that earned him a suspension in the Senate.”
PRESIDENCY DENIES BUDGET PADDING ALLEGATIONS
The Presidency has
denied allegations of padding the 2024 budget by an additional N3tn.
In a statement signed
by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga,
the Presidency described Ningi’s claims as “false” asserting that Tinubu had
initially presented a N27.5tn budget to the National Assembly on November 29,
2023.
It said this budget
included N9.92tn for recurrent expenditure, N8.25tn for debt service, and
N8.7tn for capital expenditure, contrasting Ningi’s claims.
The Presidency
emphasised that it was unbelievable for the Senate to have debated and passed a
N25tn budget that was never presented.
“Contrary to the
strange view expressed by Senator Ningi, there was no way the Senate could have
debated and passed a N25tn budget that was not presented to the National
Assembly.
“We don’t expect a ranking Senator not to pay due attention to details before making wild claims.
“It is also important
to let Nigerians know that the budget that President Tinubu signed into law on
January 1, 2024, as passed by the National Assembly was N28.7tn,” Onanuga
insisted.
It argued that the
National Assembly only exercised its appropriation powers, and increased the
executive’s proposed budget by N1.2tn to N28.7tn, which President Tinubu
subsequently signed into law on New Year’s Day.
Onanuga stated, “We
want to state categorically that the only 2024 budget that is being implemented
is the N28.7tn budget passed by the National Assembly and signed by the
President.
“Included in the budget
are statutory transfers to the Judiciary, National Assembly, Tetfund and
others. He did not present a budget of N25tn.”
Addressing Senator
Ningi’s assertion that the 2024 budget was anti-North, the Presidency dismissed
it as “far-fetched” and “unbecoming” of a leader of his stature.”
2024 NIGERIAN BUDGET
The Nigerian 2024
national budget has been embroiled in controversy since President Tinubu
presented it to the National Assembly in a joint session on November 29, 2023.
The budget, which was presented more than two months behind schedule, initially
sparked controversy due to the full contents not being made available to the
members of the National Assembly tasked with passing it.
Furthermore,
controversy arose as the Presidency pushed for swift passage of the budget
following its presentation. This led the National Assembly to hastily receive
and pass the budget on December 30, 2023, despite inadequate information and
without thorough consideration. Remarkably, President Tinubu signed the 2024
Appropriation Bill into law on January 1, 2024, marking an unprecedented move.
The 2024 Appropriation
Act was intended to mark President Tinubu's inaugural full-year budget,
symbolizing his administration’s fiscal stance and trajectory. However, the
circumstances surrounding its passage, coupled with uncertainties regarding its
contents and the lack of clear budgetary direction, have raised serious concerns
about the administration's capacity to manage the economy effectively.
Since the passage of
the budget, the economy has experienced a downturn, with several key indicators
outlined in the budget being adversely affected. With projections based on a
naira exchange rate of N750 per $1, a crude oil production volume of 1.78
million barrels at $77.96 per barrel, and a GDP growth forecast of 3.76%, it
remains unclear how the 2024 budget will successfully accomplish its set
objectives.
The projected rate of
inflation of 21.4% in the budget now seems like a mirage with the inflation
rate rising up to 29.9% in January 2024. The interest rate stands at 18.75% as
announced by the Monetary Policy Committee of the Central Bank of Nigeria in
July 2023.
Citizens are eagerly
awaiting the Nigerian government's response to address the current downward
economic trajectory, which has resulted in significant adverse effects on the
cost and standard of living across the country.
Muhammad Abubakar, the
Secretary-General of the Citizens for Justice and Accountability (CJA),
expressed concern over the potential consequences if the suspension of the
senator persists despite mounting pressure. He questioned whether the
allegations would be overlooked if the suspension ends soon.
"If the suspension
of the senator stands still despite the mounting pressure, from now it will
remain only a few days for the senator to return to the senate chamber; but the
question here; how about the allegation? Are they swept under the carpet?"
he asked.
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