Following a three-month suspension, Senator Ningi rejoins the Senate
After his suspension was lifted, Senator Abdul Ningi, a representative for Bauchi Central, returned to the Senate to continue his work.
On Tuesday, the senator was driven into the Senate compound while wearing traditional white native clothing.
On March 12, 2024, the Senate suspended Senator Ningi; however, the suspension was removed last month when Senator Abba Moro, the Deputy Minority Leader, moved a motion in which Ningi apologized and accepted full responsibility for his acts.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced Ningi’s unconditional reinstatement after hearing pleas from colleagues and lauding his valuable membership and achievements.
Ningi’s suspension was lifted two weeks before its scheduled expiration on June 12, 2024.
The senator’s comeback follows a contentious interview he had in March with the British Broadcasting Corporation’s Hausa Service, in which he claimed that the National Assembly had padded the 2024 budget by N28.7 trillion.
The interview led to a three-hour debate in the Senate, ultimately resulting in his suspension.
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Ningi 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 operating by the Federal Government is N28tn.
“Apparently, we discovered N3tn was inserted into the budget for projects without locations. This is the highest budget padding that happened in Nigerian history under Senator Akpabio’s watch.”
