Concerned Groups Call for Senate President’s Resignation Over Alleged Budget Padding

An amalgamation of concerned groups in Bauchi State has strongly criticized Senate President, Senator Goodwill Akpabio, and demanded his resignation.

The groups accuse him of trying to divert attention from the alleged N3.7 trillion padding of the 2024 budget by framing the issue as a North-South divide.

The call for the Senate President’s resignation follows the suspension of Senator Abdul Ahmed Ningi, representing Bauchi Central Senatorial District, for his comments on the untraceable N3.7 trillion in the 2024 budget.

Describing the suspension of Senator Ningi as “unlawful, hasty, and undemocratic,” the groups held a press conference at the secretariat of the Bauchi State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists.

The chairman of the group, Umar Sa’id Maigamo, urged the Senate President to step aside to allow for a proper investigation into the budget padding allegations.

Maigamo also called for an investigation into the allegation that some selected ranking senators received N500 million from the Senate leadership.

In his statement, Maigamo said, “We wish to address all Nigerians on the decision by the Senate over the suspension of Senator Abdul Ahmed Ningi, senator representing Bauchi Central Senatorial District.

We consider this decision premeditated, hasty, unlawful, and undemocratic on several grounds.

“You may wish to recall that Senator Abdul Ningi, in an attempt to exercise his legislative and constitutional rights, granted an interview to the BBC Hausa Service where he raised pertinent issues regarding the 2024 budget.

In the said interview, the senator revealed that there were some anomalies in the budget, where he specifically stated that the sum of N3.7 trillion could not be traced to any projects or locations in the 2024 budget.

“Senator Ningi’s assertion was corroborated by several professional groups, including Budgit Foundation, a renowned civil society organization promoting accountability and transparency in public spending in Nigeria.

“However, in a rare display of injustice and disdain for the rule of law and democratic tenets, the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, at the plenary held on March 12, 2024, announced the suspension of Senator Abdul Ahmed Ningi for three months.

“We view this action of the Senate as an attempt not only to conceal the truth but to prevent the senator from exercising his legislative duties and constitutional rights.”