Ranking senators get N17bn constituency votes, Ningi suspended

Fresh revelations at the Senate plenary, on Tuesday, indicated that  ranking senators  got N500m each for their constituency projects   in the   2024 budget passed by the National Assembly..

According to the Senate rules, any lawmaker who has spent at least a term in the House of Representatives or Senate,  is considered a ranking senator.

On the list of senators in the 10th Senate, at least 34  of them are ranking. With the revelation at the plenary on Tuesday that  senior   senators got N500m each, the ranking senators,   must have got a total of  N17bn as their constituency projects votes.

Senator Jarigbe Jarigbe (PDP, Cross-River North), during the debate of the motion on breach of privilege moved by Senator Olamilekan Adeola (APC Ogun West) against Senator Abdul Ningi (PDP, Bauchi Central) over Ningi’s interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation (Hausa Services), alleged  that senior senators got N500m each.

Ningi was  suspended for three months on Tuesday. He also resigned as the Chairman of the Northern Senators’ Forum

Jarigbe’s revelation led to a rowdy session at the plenary with some senators denying collecting the amount.

Jarigbe later clarified, in an interview on Arise TV that the money was for constituency projects, not for personal palliatives of the Senators.

Adeola had come under orders 9, 10, 41, and 51 to move a motion of privilege and issue of national importance against Senator Abdul Ningi (PDP, Bauchi Central) over Ningi’s interview with the BBC (Hausa Services)

Ningi, in the BBC interview on Friday, alleged that N3.7tn was not tied to specific projects in the 2024 budget.

Also, at a press conference on Monday, the senator insisted on the allegation, adding that he was not afraid of suspension.

Contributing to the debate on Tuesday, Jarigbe said issues about the missing N3.7tn as alleged by Ningi had been clarified under the Government Owned Enterprises and the first line charge.

He said, “I thought this issue should have ended when the chairman of the Committee on Appropriation explained that the N3.7tn was under GOEs and the first line charge.

“That explains everything.We are going back and forth on this issue and coming up with the issue of budget and individual issues concerning what comes into our various constituencies.

“If we want to go into those issues, all of us are culpable. Some senators here—the so-called senior senators—got N500m each. I am a ranking senator, but I didn’t get it. Did I go to the press? Most of you here got it.”

However, when given another chance to speak, he clarified that it was Ningi who told him that some senators got N500m.

Jarigbe said, “This is an important clarification. I was speaking when the microphone went off. I was told by Ningi that some ranking senators got N500m. Ningi came to me and said that there were discrepancies in the budget and I told him that let’s go to the Senate President.

He explained further, “Senator Yayi (Adeola) has cleared the air on the N3tn, so there is no padding anywhere. Senator Ningi told me that he got N500m worth of projects in the budget. I said Senator Ningi shouldn’t be the one speaking about certain things.’’

‘N500m for projects’

But Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central), stated that though the senators got N500m, it was for constituency projects.

“I was going through online and it’s trending that every senator got N500m here today and I am not going to deny anything. My appeal to Nigerians today is not about what was said here today because I am not going to deny that.

“But we have 12 months to implement this budget and see whether any of these senators here will not implement boreholes, enough solar street lights, road construction, training, and empowerment that will not be up to N500m.”

Meanwhile, Bamidele alleged that Ningi planned a coup against the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio.

He said, “What Abdul Ningi wanted to do was tantamount to a civilian coup. It is always about Akpabio, never about the House of Representatives or the President. It is not about North and South, it is about our rules.

“I am speaking as Bamidele, not as a Senate Leader. The last time a South-South person was ever given the opportunity to become president was over 40 years ago. We have another peaceful Senate, but why is it always about Akpabio?”

Bamidele went ahead to state that “we must do this right. He (Ningi) said some of us got N100bn, why do we need an apology? If I have anything here, it is not money put in my pocket, they are for constituency projects. Let us do the right thing.”

Senator Sani Musa (APC, Niger East), however, expressed disappointment over the actions of Ningi and Kawu saying, “Any discovery that I have not seen, to me it is not a discovery.

“Distinguished Senators Ningi and Kawu, I am not a second-class northerner. If there is anything that happens in the Northern Senators Forum, they do not inform me. If anybody says he has seen anything, provide the evidence.

“But when I saw the post from Senator Sumaila Kawu, I was disappointed. We will deal with the budget, but we have to also deal with our ethical standards in this Senate.”

Ningi denies padding

In his defence, Ningi stated that he never mentioned padding in the 2024 budget.

“I have never issued a statement of this to anybody anywhere and anytime. What is being forwarded is the distorted version of what I said. Mr Chairman, you would recall last Tuesday that Kawu and I said we wanted to have an audience with you.

“The Northern Senators’ Forum met with you on Tuesday and this copy is with me. I am the only one who has a copy of our findings. At the end of our conversation, you said that the way the budget was brought to us didn’t allow us to vet it accurately.”

Ningi stated that in the BBC interview, he never mentioned Akpabio and budget padding.

“I know that the budget was increased by N1.2tn, but I am not aware of the National Assembly budget or what was increased. We discovered some anomalies.

“Some things were repeated in the budget, Some senatorial districts have N120bn, some N50bn, some N30bn while my senatorial district just has N2bn and others have less than N1bn. I do not know the takeoff pay of the Senate President while you know mine,” he stated.

Ningi, during an interview with the BBC Hausa Service on Saturday, alleged that the budget passed by the National Assembly for the 2024 fiscal year was N25tn, while the one being implemented by the Presidency was N28.7tn.

In the interview, he was quoted to have said, “For the first time in Nigerian history, today we are operating two different budgets. One budget was approved by the National Assembly and signed by President Bola Tinubu and the one was implemented by the presidency.

“The one approved by us is N25tn while the one being operated by Federal Government is N28tn

“Apparently, we discovered N3tn was inserted into the budgets for projects without locations. This is the highest budget padding that happened in Nigerian history under Senator Akpabio’s watch.”

The Bauchi senator was further quoted to have said, “We resolved as the peoples’ representatives to see President Tinubu on this issue, with facts and figures, to ask him if he is aware of this embarrassment or not, then from there we will take action.

“Let Nigerians be patient with us. This is a national issue; it affects all Nigerians irrespective of party, tribe or religion.”

Also commenting on the matter on Tuesday, Senator Ali Ndume said the issue was about the integrity of the Senate.

He said, “This is about the integrity of the Senate. It’s beyond Ningi. Ningi was wrong. At first, they said the budget was skewed against the North and I said this thing was wrong. I asked them if they were sure that the North was short-changed.

“I told them to bring the budget, I expected Ningi to apologise to the entire Senate because the figures he was looking for are captured in the budget. N3tn isn’t missing and Ningi should apologise to us.”

Meanwhile, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim noted that he wouldn’t back down on his move to request the prosecution of Ningi over breach of peace.

‘No N500m largesse’

On his part, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Adeyemi Adaramodu, while briefing journalists after the Plenary, said no senator got N500m as palliative.

He said the Senator who raised the issue had recanted, claiming that he also got the information as a rumour somewhere.

He said, “There is no N500m largesse anywhere. The senator who raised it had since recanted claiming that somebody told him somewhere.”

The Senate later suspended the lawmaker representing Bauchi Central, Abdul Ningi, for three months.

Ningi was suspended after about three hours of elaborate debate over his interview where he alleged that the National Assembly padded the 2024 budget.

The Senate also extended a strong warning to Senator Suleiman Kawu ( NNPP, Kano South) from sharing and distributing disturbing news about the Senate.

Senator Adeola in his motion stated that in the January-December Budget Cycle, sub-committees submitted their harmonised reports to the Committee on Appropriation and the report of the Committee on Appropriation submitted to the Senate was unanimously passed on December 30, 2023 and a budget of N28.77tn was assented by the President January 1, 2024.

He said, “The additional increase of N1.2tn to what was presented by the President came during the appropriation process through additional funding requests and some items of expenditure to the committee that was not included in the bill as submitted by the President and were meant to address additional funding for the Judiciary, Agriculture and Food Security, Works, Science and Technology, Education, Water Resources, National Assembly, Health and National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme.

“The additional source of funding for the increase came from the increase in the benchmark of naira to dollar from N750-N800, increase in Government Owned Enterprises revenue and other sources;”

Senator Adeola, thereafter prayed the Senate that pursuant to Order 1(b) of the Senate Standing Order 2023 (as Amended) allow immediate deliberation of this matter and take appropriate action deemed fit in the overriding public interest and as a matter of urgent public importance to prevent break down of law and order.

He prayed, “Take further necessary steps to correct the wrong impression in the public domain of the 2024 budget created by the BBC interview and other national media houses and social media platforms by Senator Abdul Ningi and amplified by Senator Suleiman Abdulrahman Kawu through his Facebook account and other social media platforms; and

“Take any further decision as the senate deems fit and proper to safeguard the integrity of the 2024 budget which is pivotal to the revamping of our economy.”

After extensive elaboration, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim ( APC, Ondo South) moved a motion that Ningi be suspended for 12 months, but the motion was amended by Senator Asququo Ekpeyong (APC, Cross RiverSouth) that the punishment be reduced to three months.

Senator Garba Maidoki (PDP, Kebbi South) thereafter, moved that Ningi be suspended for three months or an apology be accepted if he wrote to the Senate within 24 hours.

He was seconded by Senator Sani Musa ( APC, Niger East) whose motion the Senate eventually adopted.

Meanwhile, the Senate President, GodsWill Akpabio, in his initial comment before the debate noted that Nigerians were bashing the Senate but Ningi insisted and refused to apologise to the Senate.

Akpabio said, “Nigerians are bashing the Senate. Many Nigerians will never in future come back to respect this chamber. The integrity of this chamber has been totally damaged and we wanted you to repair it with your speech.

“Instead of that, you said you have more documents to prove what you are saying. This thing is in the public glare. I have not received full details up to this moment. If you had given me full details, I would have been able to know what you know.

“So far, what you know is only known to you, it is not known to any other person. I don’t know how you rushed to the press carrying different versions. Social media is very fast. From Canada, the United States, everywhere, the story was budget padding by the Senate.

“I can quote a section of the Premium Times that said ‘This is the highest level of budget padding in Nigeria’s history where the budget passed a budget of N25tn but what we collected was N28tn.”

Ningi resigns from NSF

As the situation at the Senate festered, Senator Ningi had to tender his resignation as the Chairman of the Northern Senators Forum.

Although the resignation letter was dated March 11, a copy was made public shortly after Ningi was suspended for three months by the Senate over his statement on the alleged padding of the 2024 budget.

Ningi, in a letter sent to the forum, wrote, “I would like to resign my position as the Chairman of the Northern Senators forum.

“This is, of course, necessitated by unfolding events in the National Assembly, the North, and the nation at large.

“I will like to especially thank members of the forum for the opportunity given to me for the last eight months to spearhead this very important forum. I believe this forum is very important and fundamental to the progress and development of Northern Nigeria.”

President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday held closed-door talks with Akpabio, Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, and other lawmakers at the State House, Abuja.

The talks followed the suspension of Senator Abdul Ningi who alleged that the executive was implementing a budget other than the one approved on January 1, 2024.

The According understood that the lawmakers rushed to the Villa on Tuesday afternoon at the close of a rowdy session as the senate decided Ningi’s fate.