AREWA Consultative Forum (ACF) has faulted the suspension of the Senator representing Bauchi Central in the National Assembly, Abdul Ningi, over his N3.7 trillion 2024 budget padding allegation.

   
It, therefore, demanded thorough investigation of the claims. According to the northern leaders, the suspension is “unacceptable without a thorough investigation of the corruption allegations in the components of the 2024 budget.”
  
Stating that sweeping the issue under the carpet could endanger the nation’s democracy in a statement issued at the weekend by its spokesman, Prof Tukur Muhammed-Baba, ACF, while acknowledging the Red Chamber’s constitutional privilege to determine how it operates or conduct its affairs, insisted that it expects the Senate to execute the right strictly and transparently based on relevant and necessary constitutional provisions relating to principles of due process and fair hearing.

SIMILARLY, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, to urgently refer the matter to appropriate anti-corruption agencies for investigation and prosecution.
   
It also pleaded with him to immediately reinstate the whistleblower. The group equally asked Akpabio to make a public commitment to discontinue the “patently unlawful constituency projects” in the next budget cycle.

  
In a correspondence at the weekend by its deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP said referring the claim to relevant anti-graft bodies would be consistent with the lawmakers’ oath of office, as well as the letter and spirit of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
   
The organisation said: “What Senator Ningi has done is a positive act of good citizenship. No whistleblower should ever be penalised simply for making a public interest disclosure.
 
“Without inside information, corruption is hard to detect, prevent and combat. Rather than suspending Senator Ningi, the Senate ought to have used his allegation as a trigger for addressing the lingering problem of budget padding and corruption in the implementation of constituency projects.
 
“Referring the allegation to the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC) and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) would improve public trust in the ability of the leadership of the Senate to ensure probity and accountability in the budget process.”
   
SERAP added that encouraging whistleblowers to speak up improves public services and strengthens public accountability.