Senate President Godswill Akpabio presiding over the senate chamber
Eko Hot Blog reports that Senator representing Cross River North Senatorial District, Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe, has accused “some so-called senior senators” in the national assembly of getting N500 million each from the 2024 budget.
He made the allegation on Tuesday during plenary in defence of Senator Abdul Ningi who had been under fire for allegedly accusing the national assembly of padding the 2024 budget (Watch the video of Senator Jarigbe making the allegation here).
The latest allegation threw the upper chamber into commotion as the lawmaker’s microphone was quickly turned off, seemingly preventing him from making further accusations.
Ningi had raised the alarm of N3 trillion Budget Padding in the N28.7trillion 2024 Appropriation Act and that the budget passed by the National Assembly for 2024 fiscal year is N25trillion while the one being implemented by the Presidency is N28.7trillion.
Senator Abdul Ningi
However, Senate leaders quickly pushed back against the allegation.
On Tuesday, Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senator Olamilekan Adeola, raised a point of order against the allegation.
The senators were divided on the matter, as they took turns to speak on the floor of the Senate, but more revelations confounded the matter, when Jarigbe, a PDP senator said some senators got N500 million each but he did not get it.
“All of us are culpable. Some so-called Senior Senators here got N500 million each from the 2024 Budget, I am a ranking Senator and I didn’t get anything. No Senator has a right to accuse Senator Ningi,” Jarigbe said.
Senator Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe
Meanwhile, Senate President Godswill Akpabio tried to restore calmness on the floor.
The senators ultimately voted by voice vote to suspend Ningi for three months.
Although the “nays” seemed to be louder against the suspension motion, the senate president ruled that the “ayes” won the vote.
It was difficult to ascertain whether the majority of senators truly voted for the suspension of their colleague from Bauchi State since the National Assembly has failed for several years to adopt electronic voting that records the votes of individual lawmakers.
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