Former governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam, has said Abdul Ningi would defeat the Senate if he decides to take his suspension matter to court.
The Senate on Tuesday suspended Ningi for three months ver allegations of N3.7 trillion padding of the 2024 Budget.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, from Bauchi Central Senatorial District, was suspended after a lengthy stormy session in the red chamber.
Ningi has since announced his resignation as the chairman of the Northern Senators forum following his suspension.
Reacting to the suspension Suswam stated that there is no where in the rules of the Senate that allows for such period of suspension.
“For him to have been suspended for three months, I don’t know what went on in the chambers of the Senate, but I think three months suspension is way out,” Suswam said on Arise TV.
“I don’t think what is in the rules of the Senate allow the Senate to suspend any member for that length of time.
“If he decides to take that up legally, I don’t think that Senate would win in that case. The rules provide the number of days the Senator would be suspended when he breaches any of the rules of the Senate.
“But I don’t think what has happened in the Senate is budget padding, it’s just that some members have taken way over and above some Senators and a lot of Senators are agitated about it.
“Like Jarigbe said he doesn’t have up to 500 people who have up to 10 billion or even more.
“That is something that has always been a cause of worry in the Senate, anytime there’s a budget you have this kind of situation.”
In an interview, Ningi had claimed that the Federal Government is operating two versions of the 2024 budget.
According to him, the N28.7 trillion Budget passed and signed into law by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was skewed against the North.
The Presidency and Senators described the claims as “far-fetched and unbecoming of a leader of his status”.
However, Ningi later denied saying that the country is operating two budgets but insisted that only N25 trillion of the budget was tied to projects while N3.7 trillion had no project tied to it.
