ACF Expresses Regret Over Ningi’s Suspension, Calls for Transparent Debates on Issues

The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) expressed its concern about what happened in the Nigerian 10th Senate recently. They were particularly upset about the suspension of Senator Abdul Ningi from Bauchi Central for three months.Senator Ningi had been the leader of the Northern Caucus of Senators until he resigned. ACF thinks the Senate has the right to decide how it runs things, but they believe it should always follow the rules of fairness and hearing both sides.The whole situation started with a serious accusation by Senator Ningi about something called “budget padding.” He, along with others, said that about N3.7 trillion from the 2024 budget wasn’t attached to specific projects like it should have been.ACF didn’t want to argue with the Senate, but they felt the process was rushed and focused more on attacking Senator Ningi instead of looking into the claims he made.The Senate denied the allegations, but ACF thinks a proper investigation is needed instead of quickly suspending Senator Ningi. They believe these allegations affect many communities in Northern Nigeria. ACF prefers the Senate to form a committee to thoroughly investigate these claims.ACF is also worried that Bauchi Central won’t have representation in the Senate for three months. They stand with Senator Ningi and his supporters, hoping for a fair solution to this problem.Finally, ACF wants the Senate to be more careful and open to criticism. They think having strong debates on public issues is good for democracy and development.In the end, ACF hopes for a fair and just resolution to this situation, one that respects the principles of democracy and fairness for all involved.