Former Senate Chief Whip in the Nigerian Senate, Senator Ali Ndume, has issued an apology to the leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for not consulting the party before publicly accusing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration of maladministration.
Ndume, who represents Borno South in the National Assembly, stated that he stands by his words, emphasizing that his actions were driven by patriotism. “Yesterday I was invited by the party and here I am to discuss family matters with what has happened, which you are all aware of,” he said. “The national chairman is not just a national chairman to me but a father.”
“It is not surprising that I was invited to hear my side, and we had family discussions. I accepted the mistake of not talking to the party as a last point, and I promised the party that all my observations as a senior member of the family should have terminated or ended with the party. But whatever I said or whatever I did was out of patriotism. Those issues may be said strong, but they are true. However, I should have talked to the party as the last bus stop.”
Senator Ndume was removed from his position and replaced by Senator Mohammed Monguno after the ruling party sent a letter to the National Assembly, sanctioning him for his statements against President Tinubu. The letter, signed by APC National Chairman Abdullahi Ganduje and National Secretary Senator Ajibola Basiru, directed the upper chamber to penalize Ndume for failing to use party channels to express his concerns before going public.
In an interview with BBC Hausa Service, Ndume alleged that President Bola Tinubu was being held captive by forces within the Presidential Villa, who were feeding him lies and shielding him from Nigerians who could tell him the truth. His criticism led to his removal as a principal officer in the National Assembly and a committee chairman.
