Internal Strife in Northern Senators Forum: Majority Break Ranks with Ningi Over Budget Padding Accusations

Several members of the Northern Senators Forum (NSF) have distanced themselves from the claims made by their chairperson, Senator Abdul Ningi, regarding alleged budget padding in the approved 2024 budget.

A joint statement released on Monday and signed by seven senators, including Aminu Abass, Ibrahim Bomai, Abdulaziz Yar’adua, Lawal Usman, Isah Jibrin, Diket Plang, and Saliu Mustapha, asserted that Senator Ningi’s remarks were his personal opinion and not reflective of the majority of the senators. They emphasized that, to the best of their knowledge, no budget padding occurred in the approved 2024 budget.

Senator Ningi had earlier claimed that a private auditor discovered irregularities in the budget, alleging the existence of two budgets with a variance of N3 trillion. However, the dissenting senators dismissed these allegations, stating that there was no additional N3 trillion and firmly dissociated themselves from Ningi’s “grossly unparliamentary” actions.

The statement further highlighted the unity of the Northern Senators in supporting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, emphasizing the need for collaboration to address the challenges facing Nigeria without succumbing to ethnic sentiments.

This development follows previous dissociations by three northern senators, Sunday Karimi, Titus Zam, and Kaka Sheu, as well as denials from the Senate spokesperson, Yemi Adaramodu, and the presidency, refuting the claims of budget padding made by Senator Ningi.