On Monday, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar paid a solidarity visit to Senator Abdul Ningi, who was recently suspended for exposing the federal government’s alleged budget discrepancies.
News About Nigeria reported that Atiku contested the 2023 presidential election under the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
He is likely to contest again in the 2027 general election under the main opposition, the PDP.
During his visit to Ningi, he said there is a need for public institutions, particularly the National Assembly, to remain independent and not become tools of oppressive governments.
According to him, strengthening public institutions is crucial for serving the interests of Nigerians and achieving development.
He noted that the integrity of these institutions reflects how well the masses’ interests are protected in a democracy.
Atiku expressed support for Senator Ningi’s struggle against oppressive forces, which he believes is a continuation of the long-standing fight for public institutions to serve the people, not the powerful.
This struggle, he said, began during the military era and must continue to prevent public offices from being used to oppress the masses.
He said, “By our visitation today, we have come to show solidarity with Senator Abdul Ningi and to also pass a message to those who see public office as an instrument to oppress the people, that Senator Ningi is not alone in this struggle.
“In fact, the entire people of Nigeria and friends of Nigeria in the international community are behind our drive to cleanse the country of oppressive nuances of people in positions of authority,” Atiku said.
In his remarks, Senator Ningi thanked Atiku and his delegation for their support.
“The struggle that we are in for today is to make sure that whichever political party is in power and whoever is in the position of public office, the interests of the masses must remain sacrosanct and insulated from the whims of any one individual, no matter how highly placed,” he said.
Ningi represents Bauchi Central in the Nigerian upper legislative chamber, the Senate.
He was suspended from the Senate for three months after alleging that the Presidency was executing a budget different from the one approved by the National Assembly. Ningi had claimed in an interview that while the approved budget for 2024 was N25 trillion, the presidency was executing a budget of N28.7 trillion.
During a plenary session on March 12, Ningi was called upon to defend his allegations, but the Senate ultimately deemed them unfounded and suspended him for damaging the image of the Red Chamber.
As a result, Ningi stepped down as Chairman of the Northern Senators Forum and was replaced by Senator Abdulaziz Yar’Adua, representing Katsina Central.
