Newsbreak: Senator Ningi gets three months suspension for lying

By Omolade Adegbuyi and Ologeh Joseph Chibu

The Senate has suspended the Senator representing Bauchi Central Senatorial District.

Senator Abdul Ningi is to stay away from the National Assembly for three months.

Senator Abdul Ningi led the campaign that the North was marginalised in the 2024 budget. He said the Senate had padded the budget with some extra N3trillion.

It turned out that Senator Ningi was lying. His outburst was seen as a threat to National unity and a deliberate attempt to set the North against the South.

There have  never been complaints coming from Southern lawmakers in the eight years of former President Mohammadu Buhari’s reign not even an eyebrow was raised against his unilateral decision to budget millions of public funds for the construction of a railway from Nigeria to Niger Republic, considered as his roots.

Abdul Ningi also accused the Federal Government of implementing two budgets, one for the country and the other to favour the South where the President comes from.

He said the discovery was through consultants hired by the Northern Senators.

The Presidency had denied his claims describing his claims as “too far fetched and unbecoming.”

Senators Steve Sunday Karimi (Kogi West), Titus Tartenger Zam (Benue) and Kaka Sheu (Bornu North) also dismissed his claims.

Ningi said the budget was N28.7 and the Presidency had announced N25trillion.

His claim which is false set Southerners and Northerners against each other on the social media until the Presidency clarified through the Special Adviser to the President on the Media, Mr Bayo Onanuga

A member of the Appropriation Committee in the Senate, Jimoh Ibrahim, moved a motion for Ningi’s suspension for 12 months.

The allegation was “misinformation and breach of peace” in the National Assembly and the country by extension.

Ibrahim is from Ondo South Senatorial District.

The motion also requested a note of warning to the Senator representing Kano South Suleiman Kawu for posting inciting information on social media, and demand that he (Kawu) tenders an apology.

The Ondo senator’s motion was immediately seconded by his colleague representing Delta Central Senatoral District, Senator Ede Dafinone.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced the motion on the floor of the Senate which was supported by the majority.