The Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, has voiced the state government’s solidarity with Senator Abdul Ningi in a show of support following his recent suspension from the Nigerian Senate.
The controversy, stemming from Ningi’s remarks regarding an untraceable N3.7 trillion in the 2024 budget, has sparked significant debate and led to his three-month suspension on Tuesday.
Representing Bauchi Central senatorial district, Senator Ningi has been a vocal participant in the legislative process.
His comments, which aimed to highlight transparency concerns within the 2024 budget, led to his resignation as Chairman of the Northern Senators Forum (NSF) amid the ensuing fallout.
The situation escalated when Senator Olamilekan Adeola (APC, Ogun West), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriation, cited a breach of privilege against Ningi during a Senate session.
Adeola’s motion was prompted by Ningi’s interview with the BBC Hausa, which called into question the accountability mechanisms in place for the forthcoming Money Bill.
Jimoh Ibrahim, another member of the Appropriation Committee, initially proposed a more severe twelve-month suspension for Ningi, citing allegations of criminal misinformation and a breach of peace within the National Assembly.
However, a compromise was reached when some senators advocated for a reduced suspension period of three months, which was subsequently ratified by the Senate.
Speaking during the State Executive Council meeting at the Government House, Bauchi, on Wednesday, Mohammed said, “yesterday I was very sad the Senate suspended one of our best from Bauchi for saying the truth, for standing up to be the beacon of the truth.”
Mohammed, who is also the chairman PDP Governors’ Forum, said, “Equally I don’t know what we will do but we will discuss privately to see what we can do to support him because I support whatever he is doing and that is our best position especially if what he saying is the truth.”
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