Contractors who thought their bids to supply vehicles to the senate would not scale through have embarked on a blackmail campaign in the media, the upper chamber has said.

Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, the senate spokesman, said in a statement on Thursday that different figures being quoted as the cost of the proposed purchase of “operational vehicles” are untrue.

President Muhammadu Buhari had questioned the proposal which he said would gulp N50 billion, while various estimates put the cost at between N4.5 billion and N6 billion.

But Abdullahi said shortly after the management team and the senate services committee commenced the “due process” for the purchase, “certain contractors who bid  for the supply of the vehicles but felt their bid would not scale through began sponsoring media propaganda against the project and even leaked the recommendations of the body working on the proposed project”.

“Since the claim in an online medium that we are planning to purchase vehicles, we have not taken any further action on the issue. We are surprised that a proposed purchase became a subject of controversy and several figures that are far from our projections have been bandied around,” he said.

“While an online medium put the figure at N4.5 billion, another one said N6 billion and now the President on national television was talking about N50 billion. These are outrageous figures. Once the debate on the 2016 budget begins, Nigerians will have the opportunity of knowing how much we voted for purchase of cars and how we intend spending the vote.

“This is a responsible and responsive National Assembly. We really need project for vehicles to facilitate our work We will however follow due process when we choose to take decisions on the purchase. We will also take into consideration the views, feelings and mood of the nation in taking the decisions. We will not be profligate or extravagant when what is apparently needed in our country  is moderate and frugal spending.

“We however call on all Nigerians to be patient with us, and not jump the gun or rush into conclusions, particularly when no decision has been taken. The way the issue is being presented is as if we have ordered the car or have paid for it.”