March 13, 2024

Following the suspension of Senator Abdul Ningi, the Senate Minority Leader, Abba Moro, on Wednesday defended the action of the Senate leadership, saying it did the right thing in Ningi’s matter.

‘I think the Senate did the appropriate thing, I was there. Budget padding may not be mentioned here now in the 10th Senate because previous budgets have been criticised based on budget padding.

“But this is the first time a participant senator who was honestly engaged in the whole process is coming out to say that what I did was wrong and rubbing it on all of us. I think it is not correct, ” he said on Channel Television’s  Sunrise Daily programme.

He faulted Ningi’s action, recalling how the Northern Senators Forum had an audience with the Senate President in which Kawu and Ningi were in attendance.

Senator Moro who represents Benue South in the National Assembly, said the situation has made the upper chamber face an integrity test.

“The budget in question was passed by the senators. Senator Ningi is a senator, he was a member of the Appropriation Committee. I am from the north and he purported to speak for the north,” he said.

“Why I was angry is that Senator Kawu Sumaila who is the spokesperson of the Northern Senators Forum came before me and said that he was going to address the press on this same matter while the debate was going on.

“I said, ‘You don’t do that. You raised issues, we are tackling the issues and here you are, you want to address the press, go ahead and address the press.’ That was why I raised my hands because as a minority leader, Senator Kawu Sumaila is a member of the NNPP, he is within me and signed for me to be a minority leader.

“So why would he not accept my advice? As people have commented now, the Senate is already having some level of credibility problems. Why would an individual arrogate to himself the power to know it all, say it all.”