Thursday, 18 July 2024 04:53

APC demands Ndume’s resignation from party as Senate removes him as Chief Whip over criticism of Tinubu

Rate this item
(0 votes)

The Senate, on Wednesday, announced the removal of Ali Ndume (Borno South) as Chief Whip.

When put to voice vote by the Senate President Godswill Akpabio, members of the APC Senate Caucus endorsed Ndume’s removal as Senate Chief Whip during plenary.

Ndume was replaced by Tahir Mungono (Borno North).

This comes amid his recent criticisms of President Bola Tinubu’s government.

In a letter addressed to the Senate Caucus by the national leadership of the ruling party, the APC asked Ndume to resign his membership of the APC and join any opposition party of his choice.

The letter was signed by the party’s national chairman, and Secretary, Abdullahi Ganduje, and Ajibola Bashiru.

Daily Trust had reported how some loyalists of Tinubu plotted to get Ndume suspended.

Sources at the National Assembly told Daily Trust that the pro-Tinubu Senators were planning to not just strip Ndume of his position but equally suspend him like Abdul Ningi (PDP, Bauchi Central).

Ningi, also a ranking senator from the North, was suspended for three months in March this year, for granting an interview to the BBC Hausa in which he alleged that N3.7 trillion in the national budget for the 2024 fiscal year was not tied to any projects or locations.

Ndume had in an interview with newsmen at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja last week said, “Mr. President is not in the picture of what is happening outside the Villa. He has been fenced off and caged. So many of us won’t go through the backdoor to engage him.

“Now they have stopped him from talking and he doesn’t have public affairs managers, except his spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, who writes press statements. Nigerians are getting very angry.

“The government is not doing anything about the food scarcity and it needs to do something urgently. We don’t have food reserve. There is unavailability of food. Food crisis is the worst crisis that any nation can encounter. If we add that to security crisis, it will be severe.”

But his submissions triggered series of reactions from the pro-Tinubu camp as Sunday Karimi (Kogi West) and the ruling APC both knocked the Borno lawmaker, describing his statement as derogatory.

Our correspondent gathered from impeccable sources that three of the four senators that plotted Ndume’s suspension and ouster as the Chief Whip are from the South West – Ekiti, Ogun and Lagos, while another Senator from Kogi is also part of the agenda.

It was learnt that Akpabio was in a fix, considering that Ndume was the Director-General of the Stability Group which worked hard to make him President of the Senate in June 2023.

It was, however, hinted that some Northern senators were waiting for the cat to be let out of the bag during plenary before they would take a position.

A source said, “But of course, you know the Northern Senators will rise against another plan to destabilise their caucus, barely a few months after Ningi was suspended.”

However, some stakeholders from the North under the aegis of Concerned Northern Forum (CNF), in a statement on Tuesday signed by Abdulkadir Kura, said, “It is on record that Ndume is a critical stakeholder of the ruling APC, and a close ally of Tinubu. Therefore, if he can take such a bold step in saying the truth about the economic and social reality on the ground, then the Southern Borno Senator need to be celebrated by all and sundry. So we stand by him.

“Ndume has spoken the minds of the average Nigerians who have been under serious economic hardship since the removal of the fuel subsidy and other anti-people policies of the present administration.

“This is not the first time Ndume has criticised or challenged policies of the federal government. He consistently did so during the past administrations of Presidents Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari. Such criticisms led to positive changes by the listening governments at that time.”

 

Daily Trust

October 18, 2024

7 reasons leadership soft skills are imperative for growth

Brent Gleeson In high-performance organizations, leaders often prioritize technical know-how and measurable metrics. But dismissing…
October 11, 2024

Atiku slams Tinubu over latest petrol price hike, calls president trending nickname

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, on Thursday, mocked President Bola Tinubu over the president’s handling…
October 17, 2024

Great leaders are inspirational. 4 ways you can be too

Tracy Brower If you’ve ever worked for an inspirational leader, you know what a big…
October 12, 2024

Woman becomes Police officer to catch father’s killer, arrests him 25 years after

A Brazilian woman who dedicated her life to catching her father‘s killer managed to finally…
October 18, 2024

Many weapons used to commit crimes against Nigerians stolen from govt armoury - NSA

The National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, has said that a sizable number of illicit…
October 18, 2024

Here’s the latest as Israel-Hamas war enters Day 378

Hezbollah says it will escalate war with Israel after Hamas leader killed Lebanon's Hezbollah militant…
October 16, 2024

The AI revolution: How Predictive, Prescriptive, and Generative AI are reshaping the world

Bernard Marr In the ever-evolving landscape of artificial intelligence, three powerful forces are reshaping our…
September 22, 2024

Dubois knocks down, knocks out Joshua to retain IBF heavyweight world title

In an astonishing upset, Daniel Dubois delivered a career-defining performance, defeating former two-time world heavyweight…

NEWSSCROLL TEAM: 'Sina Kawonise: Publisher/Editor-in-Chief; Prof Wale Are Olaitan: Editorial Consultant; Femi Kawonise: Head, Production & Administration; Afolabi Ajibola: IT Manager;
Contact Us: [email protected] Tel/WhatsApp: +234 811 395 4049

Copyright © 2015 - 2024 NewsScroll. All rights reserved.