THE Nigerian Senate has recalled its suspended member, Ibrahim Ningi, ten weeks after his suspension.
The decision, which was announced by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, during a plenary session on Tuesday, May 27, followed a motion by Deputy Minority Leader, Abba Moro.
Moro, while apologising on behalf of the suspended senator, pledged to assume full responsibility for Ningi’s actions.
Granting the lawmaker’s pleas, the Senate President noted that Ningi’s resourcefulness was important to the Senate.
He further described him as a valued member of the Senate, adding that the decision to recall Ningi transcends religious and ethnic divides.
Ningi, a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is the Senate Committee on Population chairman.
Backstory
On Tuesday, March 12, the Senate suspended Ningi for three months over his allegation that the National Assembly padded the 2024 budget.
The suspended Senator also alleged that the Red Chamber passed two budget versions.
Ningi, representing Bauchi Central, was suspended under a tense atmosphere at the Senate.
Some senators from the northern part of the country had rejected Ningi’s accusations, claiming he did not speak for them, even as the parties demanded an investigation into the allegation.
Ningi had on Monday indicted the National Assembly for padding the 2024 budget with N3 trillion.
Despite his claims that he was misunderstood, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Jimoh Ibrahim, proposed suspending Ningi for a year due to false information and violations of peace in the National Assembly and, by extension, the nation.
Additionally, Ibrahim, the senator representing Ondo South Senatorial District, moved that the Senate issue a warning to Suleiman Kawu of Kano South on his posting of inflammatory material over the issue on social media and require him to submit an apology.
Ede Dafinone of the Delta Central Senatorial District promptly seconded Ibrahim’s proposal.
Akpabio announced the motion to suspend Ningi on the Senate floor.
However, his suspension led to a serious concerns among Nigerians, particularly the opposition parties, with both candidates of the Labour Party (LP) and the PDP in the 2023 elections, slamming the Senate for Ningi’s suspension.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: umustapha@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M