Senator Abdul Ningi, Chairman of the Northern Senators Forum (NSF), representing PDP-Bauchi Central, asserted on Monday that N3.7 trillion worth of projects in the 2024 Appropriation Act are unaccounted for.
Unfazed by the possibility of Senate suspension, Ningi stood firm on his claim that N3.7 trillion from the 2024 Budget could not be linked to any specific project. He clarified that these remarks were his personal views and not representative of the Northern Senator Forum.
He further clarified that he never accused the federal government of operating dual budgets for 2024. Instead, he pointed out that while N25 trillion could be linked to projects, N3.7 trillion remained untraceable.
These statements follow his previous denial of allegations that President Bola Tinubu was managing two separate budgets for 2024.
In a BBC Hausa Service interview, Ningi expressed concern over the discovery of budgetary imbalances and padding amounting to 3 trillion in the 2024 budget by the Northern Senators Forum. He also hinted at an impending confrontation with Senate President Godswill Akpabio over these findings and a planned meeting with President Bola Tinubu.
However, during a press conference on Monday, Ningi reiterated that his comments during the interview reflected his personal views and not those of the Northern Senators Forum.
In the meantime, seven senators from the Northern Senators Forum have distanced themselves from the alleged N3.7 trillion budget padding. They defended the integrity of the 2024 budget, stating that both houses of the National Assembly had thoroughly debated, processed, and approved the proposal.
The senators, representing the 19 Northern States and the FCT under the NSF, clarified that Senator Ahmed Abdul Ningi’s claims about the 2024 budget on the BBC Hausa Service were solely his own. They described his views as personal, biased, incorrect, and misleading.
The senators include Aminu lyal Abass (Adamawa), Ibrahim Bomol (Yobe), Abdulaziz Yar’Adua (Katsina), Lawal Adamu Usman (Kaduna), Jibrin Isah (Kogi), Diket Plang (Plateau), and Saliu Mustapha (Kwara).
