Tinubu: Ndume Remains Defiant, Rejects Senate Comm Appointment

Sacked Chief Whip of the Nigerian Senate, Ali Ndume has remained defiant despite his sack by the upper chamber of the legislature.

The Senator representing Borno North in the Senate was removed from his position after criticising the administration of President Bola Tinubu, saying his government has been hijacked by some powerful forces in his government.

The Senator had described the All Progressives Congress, APC, federal government as ‘Kleptocracy’, that is detached from many Nigerians who are suffering due to the hostile economic situation in the country.

The remark earned him the sack as Senate Chief Whip, aside from losing his vantage position as the Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriation.

His demotion followed a letter written to the APC Senate Caucus signed by the Chairman and Secretary of the party, Abdullahi Ganduje and Ajibola Bashiru last week.

Speaking to journalists in Maiduguri, the state capital on Friday, Ndume said he has no regret for speaking  truth to power. He said he will criticised the Tinubu administration over and over again until there is a change.

According to him, he got the position of Chief Whip through the help of God, and as a patriotic Nigerian he will continue to stand by the country no matter what happens to him.

Ndume said: ” I had wanted to react, but because I was mourning since the day I was illegally removed as Chief Whip of the Senate, I now deem it feet to do so.

” I am a Democrat and a realist, and someone who always says the truth no matter whose Ox is gored.

“According to former US President, Mr. Theodore Roosevelt, and I quote ‘Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official, save exactly to the degree in which he stands by the country. It is patriotic to support him insofar as he efficiently serves the country. It is unpatriotic not to oppose him to the exact extent that by inefficiency or otherwise, he fails in his duty to stand by the country. In either event, it is unpatriotic not to tell the truth, whether about the president or anyone else’.

“Therefore, I do not regret what I said during my interview with Arise TV, I thank all Nigerians who took to their Social Media Platforms and groups who issued a press statement aligning with my statement regarding excruciating hunger and insecurity under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“Secondly, the NWC of our great party, APC recommended to the Senate that I should be removed which they did, I took that as an Act of God, because, it is “God that gave me that mandate as Chief Whip, so I bear no grudges about what transpired, after all I do not contest to be the Chief Whip or to be the Vice Chairman of the Appropriation Committee. Rather, I contested to be a senator representing Southern Borno and the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“So is not that am desperate, I am over 64 years now, and I thank God. As for the Chairman Senate Committee on Tourism offered to me, I want to say that, I am not a Tourist and not good in Tourism, as it is, I have spent over 10 years without going to any Foreign countries, I have never been to United Kingdom, even United States of America which I went was when I was schooling there.”

Recall that Ndume, following his removal as Chip Whip, was replaced by a senator from Borno state, Tahir Munguno.