Godswill Akpabio, the Nigerian Senate President Godswill, has hinted at the possibility of the Red Chamber lifting the suspension on Senator Abdul Ningi (PDP, Bauchi Central) soon.
Akpabio’s statement is coming 24 hours after the suspended lawmaker wrote to the Senate President, threatening to take legal action if his suspension is not lifted within 7 days.
The Informant247 reports that Senator Ningi was suspended following his BBC Hausa interview, where he alleged padding of the 2024 budget to the tune of N3.7 trillion.
After a heated debate by Senators on the floor during plenary on the matter, Ningi was suspended for three months and asked to write a letter of apology to the Senate.
However, in a letter written by his counsel, Femi Falana (SAN), Ningi accused Akpabio of being the accuser, the prosecutor and the judge in the case, which he said is in utter violation of the provisions of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria.
In the letter titled; ‘Request To Lift The Suspension Of Senator Abdul Ahmed Ningi,’ dated Wednesday, March 27, 2024, Senator Ningi threatened to seek legal redress.
The Senator accused Akpabio of causing him to be put on trial before the Senate on March 14, 2024, “contrary” to the provisions of the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act, 2018.
But answering questions from newsmen on Friday on arrival from the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, Akpabio said the Senate will soon review the three-month suspension.
He said, “It is a parliamentary decision. I have not seen the letter yet. But Senator Ningi is one of us. I mean, what is suspension? I believe that in a few days, he will join us. So, there is no problem. It would be resolved amicably. The Senate is a family.”
A top member of the National Assembly had revealed that the issue was being resolved amicably.
There has been pressure on the Senate to revisit its action deemed unfair in some quarters.