The Senate had a chaotic session today as senators argued over a claim by Senator Abdul Ningi, representing Bauchi Central Senatorial District in Bauchi State, that the 2024 budget was bloated by N3 trillion, adding that there were two versions of the budget.
Ningi was alleged to have made the assertion during a BBC Hausa Service interview over the weekend.
Ningi, however, denied the reports on Monday, saying he was quoted out of context because he spoke in Hausa.
However, at the resumed plenary of the Senate on Tuesday, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator Adeola Olamilekan, moved a motion, calling for the investigation of the claim by Ningi.
Adeola’s motion was seconded by Senator Joel Onawakpo, after which senators engaged in a stormy debate while speaking on the matter.
Senator Adamu Aliero, representing Kebbi Central Senatorial District, raised a point of order, asking the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, to ensure a fair hearing by allowing the man at the centre of the controversy to state his side of the story.
But, in his response to the motion, Akpabio, said, “For me I think this is a very straightforward matter. We have a situation to be the stabiliser of the National Assembly.”