Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has thrown his weight behind the suspended Senator representing Bauchi Central, Abdul Ningi following his suspension from the Senate over allegations of budget padding in the National Assembly.
Abubakar, during a solidarity visit to Ningi’s residence on Monday, equally cautioned the Red Chamber to “not become a tool in the hands of oppressive governments.”
Ningi was suspended for three months by the Senate on March 12, 2024.
In an interview with BBC Hausa, the Bauchi lawmaker alleged that the budget passed by the National Assembly for the 2024 fiscal year was N25 trillion while the one being implemented by the Presidency was N28.7tn.
“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,” Ningi had said.
However, Umeh Kalu (SAN), counsel to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, had said that the decision and resolution to suspend Ningi was that of the Senate sitting in plenary and not that of his client, Akpabio.
During his visit, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party noted that “this agitation did not start just recently. It started during the military era, and it is essential that public institutions, especially the National Assembly, do not become a tool in the hands of oppressive governments.
“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.”
The former VP stated that the interests and protection of Nigerians in a democratic setting are reflected in the integrity of public institutions such as the National Assembly.
“The integrity of public institutions, especially such as the National Assembly, is a mirror to how the interests of the masses are preserved and protected in a democracy.
“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,” the PDP chieftain said.
In his address, Ningi noted that political officeholders must place the interests of the masses above personal interests, irrespective of their political affiliation or positions.
He said, “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.”
