Senator Abdul Ningi, representing Bauchi Central, has resumed his duties in the Senate following the lifting of his suspension.
The senator, dressed in a white native attire, was driven into the Senate complex, on Tuesday.
The Senate had suspended Senator Ningi on March 12, 2024, but lifted the suspension last month after Deputy Minority Leader, Senator Abba Moro, moved a motion apologizing on Ningi’s behalf and taking full responsibility for his actions.
Following appeals from colleagues, Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced Ningi’s unconditional reinstatement, praising his contributions and valued membership.
Ningi’s suspension was lifted two weeks before its scheduled expiration on June 12, 2024.
The senator’s return comes after a controversial interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation (Hausa Service) in March, where he accused the National Assembly of inflating the 2024 budget by N28.7 trillion through padding.
The interview led to a three-hour debate in the Senate, ultimately resulting in his suspension.
Ningi said, “For the first time in Nigerian history, today we are operating two different budgets. One budget was approved by the National Assembly and signed by President Bola Tinubu and the one was implemented by the presidency.
“The one approved by us is N25tn while the one operating by the Federal Government is N28tn.
“Apparently, we discovered N3tn was inserted into the budget for projects without locations. This is the highest budget padding that happened in Nigerian history under Senator Akpabio’s watch.”
