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Senator Abdul Ningi of Bauchi North Senatorial District returned to Senate sessions on Tuesday after a three-month suspension.
The Senate lifted his suspension, which began on March 12, 2024, following a motion by Deputy Minority Leader Senator Abba Moro expressing regret on Ningi's behalf.
Senator Moro committed to taking full responsibility for Ningi’s previous actions, acknowledging the seriousness of the suspension.
Ningi’s behaviour was closely examined and debated during the suspension within the Senate.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced Ningi's unconditional recall after appeals from fellow lawmakers.
Akpabio highlighted Ningi’s valuable contributions and emphasised that the decision to reinstate him was made without regard to religious or ethnic considerations.
“Nigerians are bashing the Senate. Many Nigerians will never in future come back to respect this chamber. The integrity of this chamber has been totally damaged, and we wanted you to repair it with your speech,” he said.
Why Senator Ningi was suspended
Ningi's suspension originated from remarks he made in an interview with BBC Hausa.
He alleges disparities in the 2024 budget figures, stating that the National Assembly approved ₦25 trillion while the Presidency implemented ₦28.7 trillion.
The lawmaker later stated that his allegation that the 2024 budget was padded with ₦3tn opened a can of worms in the Senate.
He said his colleagues were bent on silencing him instead of asking for the evidence of his claim.
When the matter was raised for discussion during plenary, Ningi said he was misquoted in some quarters but insisted that the budget was padded.
His insistence generated uproar in the Senate as some of his colleagues asked him to apologise, while others moved motions that the 63-year-old lawmaker representing Bauchi Central be suspended.
At the end of the discussion, the Senate suspended Ningi for three months, but this did not make him recant his claim.