Labour Party (LP) has voiced its support for Senator Abdul Ningi following his public condemnation of the alleged N3 trillion padding in the 2024 budget.
Senator Ningi, representing Bauchi Central in the Senate, drew attention to the issue and subsequently faced a three-month suspension.
However, his stance has garnered solidarity, with LP National Youth Leader, Prince Kennedy Ahanotu, affirming that LP senators in the 10th National Assembly stand behind Ningi.
During a youth-led solidarity visit to the Party Secretariat in Abuja, Ahanotu commended Senator Ningi for his courage in addressing the purported budget discrepancies. He emphasized that the support extended beyond party lines, with numerous senators backing Ningi’s efforts to expose issues within the National Assembly.
Addressing the youths, Ahanotu stated, “Many Senators besides Labour Party Senators backed the suspended Lawmaker for his courage.
“Even members of the Labour Party are happy with that kind of presentation he made. And you know, in the National Assembly, it is not about the person who spoke out.
“There are a lot of people that supported him, but he was the one that the floor was given before he spoke.
But I can assure you that many senators, including Labour Party senators, are solidly behind him because he is trying to unravel the ills of the National Assembly.
“I think as a national leader, personally as a person, I congratulate Senator Ningi for speaking out because we can not continue like this in Nigeria.
“Some days, some times, people need to speak out. And he’s speaking out, personally me, and on behalf of Nigerian youth, we are applauding, we are congratulating, we are thanking, and we are urging more senators and more House of Representatives to speak out.
“We should not be talking about a bad budget. We should not be talking about doctoring the budget. Why are we doctoring the budget when our intention is to save the citizens of Nigeria, is to serve the citizens of Nigeria and to deliver good dividends to them? So why are we padding?
“I think the budget padding as a matter of fact is for personal enrichment,” he added.
