The Labour Party (LP) has called for a thorough probe into the allegation made by Senator Abdul Ningi, representing Bauchi Central, that the 2024 budget was padded with N3.7 trillion.
Recall that Senator Ningi, in an interview with BBC Hausa, alleged that the National Assembly debated and passed N25 trillion as the 2024 budget instead of the N28.7 trillion being implemented by the Federal Government.
Ningi, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), stated that the Northern Forum lawmakers sought the service of a private auditor and discovered irregularities in the budget.
Reacting in separate statements, the Senate and the Presidency refuted the claim that the government was running two separate budgets, adding that the budget padding allegation was false.
Speaking with The Punch on Monday, the Chief Spokesman of the LP Campaign Organisation, Yunusa Tanko, said the party is in support of a probe into the allegation.
According to Tanko, such an allegation was too weighty to ignore and would reveal who Nigerians should be held responsible for the alleged padding.
He said, “We support the probe. They have to give us an account of exactly how much the budget is and what the over N3trn is for. There should be a line-by-line examination of the budget as well as further confirmation of the figures as already given by each of the relevant ministries, agencies, and departments.
At that point, we will know and ascertain whether the budget was padded or not. That way, we will also have a clearer understanding of what that particular N3tn is for and who will come out to make the claim.
Once that is done, we will know who to hold responsible. But as it is now, both the Federal Government and National Assembly have to come clean as regards the issue of the padded budget.”
