Tuesday, March 12, 2024 can not be forgotten in a jiffy as all the items listed on the day’s order paper, which include presentation, consideration of bills and motions were not attended to.
The only matter that came up was a motion of Urgent National Importance, titled “Urgent need to address the false allegations against the Senate and the Presidency on the 2024 Appropriation Act by Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central)” and sponsored by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senator Olamilekan Adeola, APC, Ogun West on the allegations raised by Ningi of N3 trillion Budget Padding in the N28.7trillion 2024 Appropriation Act.
Ningi also alleged that the budget passed by the National Assembly for 2024 fiscal year was N25 trillion while the one being implemented by the Presidency was N28.7 trillion.
Ningi’s interview
Adeola who read a transcribed version of Senator Ningi’s BBC Hausa Service interview, had disclosed that some agencies were not documented in the 2024 budget document. According to him, these agencies include the Judiciary, National Assembly, INEC, TETFUND, North East Development Commission (NEDC), Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and Government Owned Enterprise (GOE).
At the end of the debates that led to a rowdy session, opening of can of worms especially on funds for Constituency projects, how the sum of N500 million were in the hands of some Senators, while others did not get close to that, thereby suggesting lack of uniformity.
When it was time for the former Deputy leader and the immediate past Chairman of the Northern Senators Forum, NSF, Senator Abdul Ningi to speak, he said, “I think Yayi (Solomon Olamilekan) has done a fair job except on some issues that they do not understand.
“I have never said the budget was padded. I have never issued out any of these statements. This is a fake contribution that was forwarded, I do not know the author of this. In the budget Yayi presented to you, I have facts, constituency by constituency, some 12bn, some 60bn, some 30bn some have less than 1 billion.
“As I am talking to you, Mr. President, I do not know your take-home pay. I don’t know how much you are spending on your cars and other principal officers. I have targets just like every other member, I do not know your aides or their numbers. Everything in the budget is my concern.”
A history of suspension
At the end of the day, the Senate suspended Ningi for raising the alarm of N3 trillion Budget Padding in the N28.7trillion 2024 Appropriation Act and for claiming that the budget passed by the National Assembly for 2024 fiscal year is N25 trillion while the one being implemented by the Presidency is N28.7trillion. The Senate also resolved that if Senator Ningi writes to apologise during the period, he shall be recalled to resume his legislative activities having shown remorse.
With his suspension on Tuesday, Senator Ningi has joined the league of Senators that have been suspended before now. Prior to Ndume’s suspension, recall that the Senate had on Wednesday, 30th March, 2017 suspended former Majority Leader, Senator Ali Ndume, for six months for not “conducting due diligence” before filing a petition against Senate President Bukola Saraki and Senator Dino Melaye who was representing Kogi West then. Ndume was indicted for “for bringing Senator Dino Melaye, his colleague, and the institution of the Senate to unbearable disrepute.”
Also, former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, was in April 2018 suspender for 181 days but former President of the Senate, Senator Bukola Saraki pleaded for 90 days and it was unanimously accepted, but the court squashed the suspension. In 2004, Senator Isa Mohammed, PDP, Niger and Vice chairman of the Senate Committee on States and Local governments, had slapped his Chairman, Senator Iyabo Anisulowo, PDP, Ogun State over alleged misappropriation of N1.2 million Senate Committee funds.
Senator Joseph Waku from Benue was also suspended by the senate in 2000 after he stirred a major controversy in the country. The Senator had suggested that a military coup would be preferable to allowing former President Olusegun Obasanjo to continue as a dictator. Waku criticised Obasanjo’s administration describing it as the worst in Nigeria’s history.
His comments resulted in widespread condemnation and subsequent suspension by the Senate. In 2002, late Senator Arthur Nzeribe from Imo State was suspended indefinitely in November 2002 by then-Senate President Pius Anyim over allegations of N22 million fraud.
… of banana peels
But one striking thing that happened on that Tuesday was the revelation by the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, APC, Ekiti Central who took us down memory lane of banana peels in the Senate from the era of former President of the Senate, Senator Evan Enweren in 1999 to Past President Ken Nnamani in 2007, with former President of the Senate, Senator David Mark putting an end to Banana peels as he was the President of the Senate from 2007 to 2015.
Senator Mark finished successfully while Senator Bukola Saraki whose tenure was characterized by face-off between the executive and the legislature, rounded off in 2019 and Senator Ahmad Lawan did his four years from 2019 to 2023.
Senate leader Bamidele took everyone unawares when he described what happened as a civilian coup.
Bamidele, while reacting to the allegation had said, “I am speaking as Senator Opeyemi Bamidele representing Ekiti, not as a Senate leader to say that Ningi was only fuelling this budget padding allegation to push for a failed civilian coup in the Senate.
“Over 60 senators voted for Akpabio, and over 40 voted against him. That’s the will of the majority. But a few have refused to let the electioneering activities pass them by. They still hold bile, and that is why it is always about Akpabio, never about the Senate, House of Representatives, DG, or Budget. All of us passed this budget, and it was never about Mr President who signed this budget.
“It is always about Akpabio. We have momentum; this is a defining moment for all of us to say if we are going to have a stable Senate.
“It is not about North and South. It is about our rules (the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria). It is about our people who are .hungry and deprived. Mr President (Akpabio), make no mistake, some people feel they are not going to give you more than one year to spend on this chair, they want to do everything possible before the 13th of June to remove you.
“I want Nigerians to know for history’s sake that the last time the people of South-South had a chance to be Senate President was 40 years ago. The last time the South had a chance to be Senate President was during Obasanjo’s administration when it went to the South East.
“Five people were elected because they were impeached in quick succession. But as soon as it left the South, we had peace because we (the South) will always cooperate. David Mark spent eight years. Ahmad Lawal spent four peaceful years. Even Saraki, with all he did, spent four peaceful years.
“It is about Akpabio; it is about the South; you can now understand why Senator Ningi will want to use the platform of the Northern Senators Forum to push an agenda even when they disagreed with him. Mr President, I plead with you that this is an opportunity for us to let our rules prevail.”
Akpabio’s ‘crime’
Recall that the removal of Senate Presidents always starts from accusations of Constituency funds or Committee funds and lack of uniformity in the sharing formular of constituency funds and composition of standing Committees, especially when some Senators are left out of juicy Committees.
Some Senators are still not happy with Akpabio based on his comment while rounding off a session of the Senate preparatory for a recess, when he mistakenly revealed that money had been sent to senators to “enjoy” their recess. Akpabio, who had forgotten that the proceeding was being streamed live, began to address his colleagues before the adjournment motion was moved at the end of the Senate’s ministerial screening.
“In order to enable all of us to enjoy our holidays, a token has been sent to our various accounts by the Clerk of the National Assembly,” he had said.