Senate President Godswill Akpabio Accused of Budget Padding Amidst Tension in Upper Legislative Chamber

In a recent development at the upper legislative chamber, Senate President Godswill Akpabio has been embroiled in a controversy following allegations of budget padding amounting to N4 trillion.

Senator Godswill Akpabio

A group of lawmakers from the Northern Senators Forum (NSF), comprising 58 members and led by Abdul Ningi (PDP, Bauchi), confronted Akpabio over the alleged insertion of projects worth N4 trillion into the 2024 budget during a meeting held at the Senate President’s Guest House in Maitama.

Present at the meeting were key members of the Senate leadership, including Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin (APC, Kano), and Chief Whip Ali Ndume (APC, Borno).

According to sources, the northern senators accused Akpabio of discreetly inserting projects into the budget without specified locations and claimed that the budget favored certain regions over others.

They further alleged that Akpabio had rushed the passage of what they termed as “the most fraudulent budget in the history of Nigeria,” claiming it served his personal interests and those of his associates.

Akpabio, however, assured the senators that he would address their concerns, stating, “For the last three months, we have employed private financial auditors to extensively examine the 2024 budget. We have uncovered significant unauthorized changes and additions in the budget that would have a widespread negative impact on the nation as a whole.”

The allegations have sparked concerns among lawmakers, with promises of further investigations into the matter and calls for accountability from the presidency.