The All Progressive Congress, Peoples Democratic Party, Labour Party and some other political parties on Monday, demanded that a thorough investigation be carried out into the allegation the Chairman, Senate Committee on Population, Abdul Ningi (PDP, Bauchi Central), made that N3.7 trillion was padded in the 2024 budget.
However, some of Ningi’s colleagues in the Northern Senators Forum have disowned the claims, saying he was not speaking on their behalf.
But the LP, APC, PDP, New Nigeria People’s Party, and Peoples Redemption Party demanded an investigation into the alleged padding of the 2024 budget
The PDP’s spokesperson, Debo Ologunagba, on Monday said the allegation should be looked into.
“I would like to receive detailed information to be able to respond appropriately. Having said that, if it’s true, any such issues require attention and should be addressed at the necessary level,” he stated.
His NNPP counterpart, Yakubu Shendam, said President Tinubu should probe what was happening.
He said, “Mr President should be able to sit down properly because this is his government for which he was given a mandate to lead. If he really wants to stamp out corruption, he should be able to look inside, meaning the people he’s operating with, to find out what is happening about this. Because at the end of the day, it is his government that will be blamed.’’
The PRP spokesperson, Muhammed Ishaq, spoke in similar tone, saying if it’s true, it represented gross misconduct and a blatant disregard for the principles of transparency, accountability, and fiscal responsibility that the nation deserves, especially during these trying times.
According to the Labour Party Campaign Organisation spokesperson, Yunusa Tanko, such an allegation was too weighty to be swept under the carpet.
He said, “We support the probe. They have to give us an account of exactly how much is the budget and what the over N3trn is for. There should be a line-by-line examination of the budget as well as further confirmation of the figures as already given by each of the relevant ministries, agencies, and departments.
“It is at that particular point in time we will know and ascertain whether the budget was padded or not. That way, we will also have a clearer understanding of what that particular N3tn is for and who will come out to make the claim. Once that is done, we will know who to hold responsible. But as it is now, both the Federal Government and National Assembly have to come clean as regards the issue of the padded budget.”
The Deputy National Organising Secretary of the ruling APC, Nze Chidi Duru, however, doubted that such a humongous amount could be inserted in such a budget without the knowledge of the two chambers, whose processes were known to be rigorous.
He too called for a thorough probe to establish the authenticity of the allegation.
He said if Ningi was found to be gaslighting or raising an unfounded claim, then necessary sanctions should be taken against him.
“We are not in the Senate and there is no way one will know the internal workings of the 10th National Assembly. But we know once a budget is passed, there are ways by which it will be harmonised. One will find it strange, to say the least, that such an addition outside of what has been agreed intra-chambers in a bid to have a harmonised budget, can be unilaterally inflated by one person or chamber. It will be one of the eight wonders of the world for them to consider that.
“But assuming without conceding that it was unimaginably possible, that calls for the highest level of investigation. However, I think it is too difficult to believe such a thing can happen in a chamber that is regulated and follows due process in passing the budget.’’
