TINUBU MEETS AKPABIO, JIBRIN AFTER SENATE SUSPENDS NINGI OVER BUDGET PADDING ALLEGATION

resigned his position as Chairman of the Northern Senators Forum, dropped his resignation letter shortly after he was suspended from the red chamber for three months.

The letter was addressed to the Secretary of the NSF, Sadiq Sulaiman (APC, Kwara North).

The letter read, in part, "I will like to resign my position as the Chairman of the Northern Senators’ Forum. This is, of course, necessitated by unfolding events in the National Assembly, the north and the nation at large." HURIWA: Suspending Ningi Without Investigating Claims Amounts to Cover Up

Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) described as a cover-up the suspension slammed on Senator Abdul Ningi by the Godswill Akpabio-led senate over his allegation that the 2024 budget was padded with over N3 trillion by the senate.

HURIWA, in a statement by its National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, said the suspension was hasty and would inevitably be interpreted as a negative sign that the National Assembly that ought to be the bastion of civil democracy is being turned into a secret society. It said this was because the senators failed to conduct a publicly advertised probe of the damaging allegations made by Ningi.

HURIWA condemned the senators for behaving like political thugs and for being indecorous during the session leading to the suspension of Ningi.

The statement said, "The senate ought to have set up a committee to investigate the allegations and allow the members of the Nigerian public to follow up the process so as to get to the very roots of it with a view to ascertaining the veracity or otherwise of such an extensively damaging allegations.

"But, instead, the senate used legislative blackmail, sledgehammer and threats to shut up Senator Abdul Ningi and we, the people of Nigeria, think that this is an attempt to hide the truth from us. This is unconstitutional and undemocratic." Ningi’s Suspension for 3 Months Flies in the Face of Precedent

Yesterday’s suspension of Ningi for three months by the senate ran contrary of extant legal precedent.

In the case of Akinribido v Ondo State House of Assembly, the Court of Appeal upheld the decision of the State High Court, which nullified the indefinite suspension of Akinribido by the Assembly leadership.

The lower court presided over by Justice Ademola Bola had ruled that the Ondo State House of Assembly acted arbitrarily by exceeding its power and could only suspend for one day’s plenary sitting.

The court held that in spite of the powers to sanction, the suspension could not be more than one legislative day and that the House of Assembly lacked the power to suspend a member indefinitely.

The decision of the lower court was also upheld by the Court of Appeal in Akure. The appellate court, in its verdict, dismissed the stay of execution suit filed by the Ondo State House of Assembly against the judgement of the High Court nullifying the suspension of four lawmakers by the leadership of the Assembly.

Presiding appeal court justice, Folayemi Omoleye, while delivering the ruling, chided the appellants for bringing a “frivolous” suit before the court.

He, consequently, directed the Ondo State House of Assembly to urgently obey the order reinstating the lawmakers.