JUST IN: Presidency Denies Budget Padding Allegations(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The Presidency has denied allegations of padding the 2024 budget by an additional N3 trillion. According to the lawmakers, an N25tn budget was debated and passed, not the N28.7tn that is currently being implemented. The Presidency stressed that it was implausible for the Senate to have debated and passed a N25tn budget that was never presented. “It is also important to let Nigerians know that the budget that President Tinubu signed into law on January 1, 2024, as passed by the National Assembly was N28.7tn,” the presidency insisted. Addressing Senator Ningi’s assertion that the 2024 budget was anti-North, the Presidency dismissed it as “far-fetched” and “unbecoming” of a leader of his stature.