A prominent pressure and advocacy group in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Concerned PDP League (CPDPL), has condemn and reject the suspension of Senator Abdul Ahmed Ningi by the 10th Senate.
The group also called for the resignation or removal of the Senate minority leader, Senator Aba Moro and his deputy for opposition leadership failure and alleged that, the Senate President His Excellency, Senator Godwill Akpabio, in his words and actions, is fast becoming a threat to Nigerian’s democracy.
In a statement signed by the national leader Comrade Daboikiabo Z. Warmate, and the national secretary Alhaji Tasiu M. Muhammad on Tuesday, the group termed the suspension action as diversionary, irrational and unnecessary.
In light of the glaring allegations steering the senators on their faces, the group pointed out that, the least the senators could have done, was to counter Sen. Ningi’s allegation of N3 trillion not tied to any project (floating) in the budget with hard evidences but they rather shamelessly resorted to a face saving and cover up act of suspending him.
“It is a very sad development and we vehemently condemn and reject it, and indeed it is a sign of failure of opposition leadership in the Senate for such an allegation to be swept under the carpet by suspending the Senator responsible for the revelation under the very supposedly watchful eyes of the opposition parties in the Senate, posed the question, if we have opposition party in the Nigeria 10th Senate?”
“The concept of budget padding was until 2016 a new lexicon in Nigeria politics. This entrench illegal padding via inflating the budget by manoeuvring and mutilating datas and abnormally inserting projects in the budget and this has become a national embarrassment and it has imposed a lot of moral disgrace on our country and drain our scarce resources.”
“The question Sen. Abdul Ahmed Ningi and we are asking is, why is it that a whopping some of N3 trillion will be floating (not tied to any project), while N25 trillion is tied to some projects in the 2024 budget as passed?”
“In view of the above and the inability and incapacity of the Senate minority leader Senator Patrick Abba Moro and Senate deputy minority leader Sen. Odewumi Kamorudeen Olalere, to call for further investigation and defend rightly or wrongly one of there own on the floor of the Senate, in the person of Senator Abdul Ahmed Ningi, we are demanding and saying they must go and reliquish there minority leadership positions now. They have failed as leaders of the opposition party, PDP in the Senate.”
The group ceased the opportunity to shred the Senate President for suspending Sen. Ningi by outlining is recent divisive statements and actions.
“And at this point also, it’s very salient we note and let Nigerians know that, he can not continue to remain as Nigeria Senate President because, from his incisive statements made in his home state of Akwa ibom, to later in Rivers state, and his claim of N30 billion being given to governor’s by the president to cushion the effect of hardship which we prefer to refer to as deadship to his today’s action of suspending one of our finest senators, the Senate President His Excellency Senator God’swill Akpabio, is allegedly fast becoming a serious threat to our democracy and intolerant to opposition and therefore, we call for him to step aside to allow for independent investigation. Akpabio can not suspend the truth.”
They however, salute Senator Abdul Ahmed Ningi, for his courage to expose such satanic padding and action.
“We salute Senator Abdul Ahmed Ningi’s courageous act of speaking out and exposing such a demonic and satanic padding.”