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.
The statement read, “We, the undersigned on behalf of the Senators from the 19 Northern States and the FCT, under the aegis of Northern Senators Forum (NSF), hereby state that Senator Ahmed Abdul Ningi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bauchi Central Senatorial District, who also happens to be the chairman of our forum, was on his own in the claims he made on the BBC Hausa Service on the 2024 budget. As such, the view he expressed was his personal opinion, sentiment and unfortunately skewed, incorrect and misleading.
• That there was never a time where we held a meeting and mandated Senator Ningi to address the press on the said matter.
• 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.”
