The Arewa Advancement for Peace and Development Initiative has strongly criticized the suspension of Senator Abdul Ningi by the Senate led by Godswill Akpabio. They demand Ningi’s immediate recall and call for a thorough investigation into the budget padding allegations for transparency.
Expressing their discontent, the group’s Chairman, Alhassan Sabo, and Secretary, Susan Ogbaji, issued a statement from Jos, condemning the Senate’s decision as unjust and detrimental to accountability in government. They stressed the need for an impartial probe led by an independent panel under President Bola Tinubu’s administration to scrutinize the accusations against Ningi.
Highlighting Ningi’s role as a genuine representative of the people, the group emphasized the importance of his courageous stance against corrupt practices within the leadership. They lamented the state of affairs in the National Assembly, calling it a betrayal of the Nigerian populace’s trust.
The statement read, “We are here to voice our displeasure over the recent events in the National Assembly, particularly the Senate Chamber, which should have been our symbol of pride and the pillar of our hope as a nation because it holds the representatives (voices) of the Nigerian people. But unfortunately, that is not the case.
“The allegation raised by distinguished Senator Abdul Ningi has opened up a can of worms, which did not go well with the leadership of the Senate. How did we get to where we are as a people? We keep blaming the Executive for our woes, but should we now say that the real enemies of the Nigerian people are their representatives?
“How can over N3 trillion be padded into our national budget, and Nigerians are mute over such sensitive and national issues? We are killing our economy, killing our future generations, killing our means of survival as a people. If this allegation is true, then we have lost it as a people and should be ashamed of ourselves.”
The group demanded the Senate leadership to immediately lift Senator Ningi’s suspension and reinstate him, threatening mobilization of people from the 19 northern states and other civil society organizations to move to the National Assembly if their demands are not met.