By Akinwale Kasali
Following the controversy which trailed the 2024 alleged Budget Padding to the tune of N3.7 trillion, a former Governor of Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswam, has said nothing of the sort happened.
The Peoples Democratic Party Chieftain who spoke in an interview on Arise Television said that the 2024 Budget signed by President Bola Tinubu was not padded.
He said, “If the budget signed by the President was not more than initial submission, there was no padding.
“The issue is that the leadership of the National Assembly normally takes the lion’s share of constituency projects, and this agitates most members and Senators,” he added.
The 2024 Budget has been a subject of controversy. Senator Abdul Ningi had alleged that the Senate padded the 2024 budget to the tune of N3.7 trillion.
Ningi, in an interview with BBC Hausa, claimed that the Federal Government is operating two versions of the 2024 budget and that the N28.7 trillion Budget passed and signed into law by President Tinubu was skewed against the North.
At the resumed plenary on Tuesday, the Senate under the leadership of Senate President Godswill Akpabio, suspended Senator Ningi for three months.
