Senator Abdul Ningi has resigned has resigned as Chairman of the Northern Senators’ Forum (NSF).
Ningi was on Tuesday, suspended by the Senate for three months for alleging that the 2024 budget was padded to the tune of N3 trillion.
Ningi’s resignation is contained in a letter addressed to the Secretary of Forim on Tuesday in Abuja.
“I will like to resign my position as Chairman of the Northern Senators’ Forum.
“This is of course necessitated by the unfolding events in the National Assembly, the North and the nation at large.
“I will like to specially thank members of the forum for the opportunity given to me for the last eight months to spearhead this very important forum.
“I believe this forum is very important and fundamental to the progress and development of Northern Nigeria,” the letter reads.
Before his suspension, some members of the Northern Senators Forum distanced themselves from Ningi’s allegation that the 2024 budget was padded to the tune of N3 trillion.
“We, the undersigned on behalf of the Senators from the 19 Northern States and the FCT, under the aegis of Northern Senators Forum (NSF), hereby state that Senator Ahmed Abdul Ningi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP, Bauchi Central), who also happens to be the chairman of our forum, was on his own in the claims he made on the BBC Hausa Service on the 2024 budget.
“As such, the view he expressed was his personal opinion, sentiment and unfortunately skewed, incorrect and misleading.
“There was never a time where we held a meeting and mandated Senator Ningi to address the press on the said matter.
“The budget was presented to the National Assembly during a joint session of the two chambers – Senate and House of Representatives – by President Bola Tinubu on November 29, 2023, in line with the requirement of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
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“Both chambers of the National Assembly diligently and meticulously debated, processed, and passed the proposal of the President. And satisfied with it, the President assented to it.
“It is clear that Mr President presented a budget of N27.5 trillion to the National Assembly and the Assembly passed a budget of N28.7 trillion based on the need to make increases or decreases in the appropriations of the various MDAs, which is in tandem with the legislative powers of the National Assembly to address critical projects and services across various sectors.
