Atiku during the visit, “stressed the importance of preserving the integrity of government institutions in the interests of Nigerians”
By Kehinde Okeowo
Former Vice President and the 2023 presidential candidate of major opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has told embattled Bauchi Senator, Abdul Ningi to count on his support.
He gave the assurance to the suspended senator in a recent post on his X handle after he paid a solidarity visit to his residence on Monday,
TheNiche had earlier reported that Ningi, who is representing Bauchi Central senatorial district in the Senate, was suspended for three months after alleging that the 2024 budget was padded.
In an interview with BBC, he claimed that N3.7 trillion could not be traced to any project in the budget.
“Apparently, we discovered N3tn was inserted into the budget for projects without locations. This is the highest budget padding that happened in Nigerian history under Senator Akpabio’s watch,” Ningi had said.
ALSO READ: Abia Audit Report: Prove your claim, make it public, Ikpeazu dares Otti
Reacting to his suspension from the Senate during the visit, Atiku assured the federal lawmaker that he is not alone in his battle.
He went on to caution the Red Chamber to “not become a tool in the hands of oppressive governments.”
The PDP chieftain further “stressed the importance of preserving the integrity of government institutions in the interests of Nigerians.”
Speaking via his verified social media handle, Atiku tweeted: “During a solidarity visit to Sen. Abdul Ningi, @Sen_AbdulNingi, representing Bauchi Central Senatorial District, I stressed the importance of preserving the integrity of government institutions if the interests of Nigerians are to be better served and the envisaged development attained.”
He added: “I assured Sen. Ningi that he is not alone in the battle that earned him a suspension in the Senate.”
