Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, has thrown his weight behind Senator Abdul Ningi, who was recently suspended by the Senate for three months, News About Nigeria reports.
Ningi, the representative of Bauchi Central, faced suspension following his claims about the 2024 budget during a BBC interview.
In the interview, Ningi alleged that the National Assembly padded the 2024 budget, stating that N3.7 trillion was not allocated to specific projects.
He claimed that there were discrepancies between the budget approved by the National Assembly and the one implemented by the presidency.
“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 N25 trillion, while the one operating by the Federal Government is ₦28 trillion,” he said.
Despite facing suspension, Ningi stood by his accusations during a subsequent press briefing.
However, Bauchi Governor Bala Mohammed voiced his support for the embattled senator during a State Executive Council meeting.
Mohammed stressed the importance of preserving dissent within the political landscape without resorting to punitive actions.
He praised Ningi as one of the best-performing senators, highlighting his heritage, uprightness, and integrity.
However, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele from Ekiti Central criticised Ningi’s claims, labelling them as a ‘civilian coup’.
Additionally, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim initiated a motion to suspend Ningi for 12 months due to allegations of criminal misinformation and breach of peace.
During the Senate session, Senators Asuquo Ekpenyong and Abdulfatai Buhari proposed amendments to reduce Ningi’s suspension to six months and three months, respectively.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio described Ningi’s offences as ‘grievous’, leading to a majority vote in support of Ningi’s three-month suspension.
