A two-time Senator, who represented the Kogi West Senatorial District, Senator Tunde Ogbeha has condemned those involved with budget padding at the National Assembly, stating that such act was alien to the 1st and 2nd Assembly where he was.
Ogbeha, who spoke at the 79th birthday celebration of his friend, Senator Chris Adighije in Abuja over the weekend frowned at the issue of budget padding at the National Assembly which has become a reoccurring decimal.
According to him, budget padding was a no go area among the Senators and the Executive in the early Assembly, adding that it is embarrassing to hear about Budget padding every appropriation year.
It would be recalled that Senator Abdul Ningi from Bauchi State was recently suspended by his colleagues for alleging that the 2024 budget was padded at the turn of 3.7 trillion naira.
The allegation generated concerns among the Senators and Nigerians with some persons calling for the resignation of the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio.
However, the ruling All Progressives Congress APC has come in defence of the Senator President, stating that Senator Ningi’s accusation was a mere allegation.
Sen. Ogbeha, in his views, said, “We didn’t pad budget in 2003. Budget padding is a recent development.”
He praised Senator Adighije as one of the Senators who were at the 2nd Assembling when budgets were not padded.
