Budget Padding Allegations: ‘If you don’t Fear Suspension, Fear God’ Senator Karimi Tells Ningi

In a heated exchange within the Northern Senators Forum, Senator Sunday Karimi (APC, Kogi West) challenges Chairman Abdul Ningi’s recent claims about an unexplained N3 trillion component in the 2024 budget. Speaking exclusively to Vanguard in Abuja, Karimi questions the source of N3 million paid to consultants on behalf of the forum, urging Ningi to “fear God, who is the ultimate judge.”

Karimi, a prominent member of the forum, emphasizes that the funds in question belong to agencies on first-line charge, suggesting Ningi’s allegations lack a factual basis. He criticizes Ningi’s haste to the press following a meeting with the Senate President, highlighting the pending report that has yet to be presented to the Senate.

Earlier, seven members of the forum issued a joint statement disowning Ningi’s claims. Senators Iyal Abbas, Ibrahim Bomoi, Abdullahi Yar’ Adua, and four others state that Ningi’s views do not represent the forum. They clarify that there was never a mandate for Ningi to address the press on the budget matter, asserting that the presented budget was diligently debated, processed, and passed by both chambers of the National Assembly.

The statement refutes Ningi’s assertion that the 2024 budget presented by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was the sum of N25 trillion, asserting that the actual budget is N28.7 trillion. The senators collectively dissociate themselves from Ningi’s actions, emphasizing their support for President Tinubu and the need for collaboration to address challenges facing Nigeria.