Senate, not Akpabio suspended Ningi -Senate president’s aide give details

Eyiboh Eseme, the media aide to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has responded to the letter written to his principal, demanding that the suspension placed on Senator Abdul Ningi ( PDP, Bauchi Central) be lifted.

Ningi, through his lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), gave the Red Chamber a seven-day ultimatum to lift the suspension or face litigation.

The Senate, on March 12, sent Ningi on a three-month suspension over his claim that the 2024 budget was padded with N3.7tn by the National Assembly.

Ningi had in an interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation ( Hausa Service), said the budget passed by the National Assembly for the 2024 fiscal year was N25tn while the one being executed by the Presidency was N28.7tn.

He, however, clarified that he only alleged the Senate of N3.7tn padding.

He said, “I said we have established beyond reasonable doubt that N25tn so far has nexus in the budget.

“That means that there is money, there is a project, and then there is a location. But we are yet to ascertain N3.7tn of that budget.

“We have established the N3tn of that budget; we have not established its location and the place.”

In the letter addressed to the Senate President, Falana described Ningi’s suspension as “a breach of Section 111 of the Constitution and Article 13 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights Act.”

In his response to the letter, Eyiboh, in an interview with our correspondent, said, “The Senate is an institution created by law and not by man.

“Distinguished Senator Ningi was suspended by the Senate and not by any individual. To associate any individual’s name to Senator Ningi’s travail is delusional and a red herring.”