Ndume Breaks Silence On Removal As Senate Chief Whip, Rejects Akpabio’s Appointment

By Doris Isreal Ijeoma The Borno South Senator, Ali Ndume, has spoken publicly for the first time following his sack as the Chief Whip of the Senate in the 10th Assembly. The outspoken lawmaker, who spoke in his country home of Maiduguri on Friday, said he was unfairly treated, and his actions do not warrant his removal from the position. He also rejected the chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Tourism, which was announced by Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Wednesday, arguing that he lacks the experience and exposure to lead such a sensitive group. Ndume added that he never wanted to be a senate whip after serving as the leader in the eighth senate, disclosing that he was given the chance to choose which committee to serve as the vice chairman, having successfully led the campaigns that brought about the emergence of Godwill Akpabio as president of the Senate. On the recommendation of the party to leave the APC, Ndume said he is a founding member of the party. He explained that he was one of the twenty-two senators from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that formed the APC when the current national chairman of the party Abdullahi Ganduje was a deputy governor in Kano State. He, however, stated that when former President Muhammadu Buhari, in the company of President Bola Tinubu, ordered him to sign a document to join APC at the Imo House in Abuja, he informed his people before going public as such, he would consult his people before deciding on whether to leave the APC or not.

Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno Named New Senate Chief Whip, Succeeding Ali Ndume

  The Nigerian Senate has appointed Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno to replace Ali Ndume as Chief Whip.    The decision was prompted by a formal complaint from the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), which was presented during a plenary session chaired by Senate President Senator Godswill Akpabio.   The complaint, conveyed in a letter signed by APC’s National Chairman Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and National Secretary Senator Surajudeen Bashir, cited concerns over Ndume’s public statements which were deemed detrimental to national interests.    Specifically, Ndume’s comments in a media interview where he criticized the administration and made allegations against prominent figures within the party were highlighted as reasons for his replacement.   Following the reading of the letter by Senator Akpabio, the Senate conducted a voice vote to confirm Senator Monguno as the new Chief Whip of the Senate.

Stop Attack On Tinubu Or Lose Election In 2027 – North-East Elders Warn Ndume

The Chief Whip of the 10th Senate, Ali Ndume, has been warned by the Coalition of Northeast Elders Forum (CNEF) to stop attacking President Bola Tinubu. The coalition, which alleged that Ndume’s 20 years in the National Assembly have not helped Borno State, threatened to mobilize voters against him in 2027 if he keeps attacking the President. According to the elders, Ndume should rather support his brother from Borno, Vice President Kashim Shettima, instead of speaking against Tinubu. The Northeast elders who asked Ndume to render an account of his stewardship were angry at the Senator’s recent outburst about President Tinubu’s administration, which they described as unnecessary. The Coalition of North-East Elders Forum questioned the rationale behind such, when he is expected to support the President to tackle insecurity and other challenges caused by insurgents and bandits in Borno and the Northern region. The elders alleged, “Senator Ndume did attack the administration of President Bola Tinubu, saying it’s run by kakistocrats—those deemed the least qualified and most unscrupulous citizens—and kleptocrats, who are merely in power to steal.” In reaction to the outburst, the group, in a statement signed by the Coordinator, Ali Ibrahim Sheriff, said what was “expected from Senator Ali Ndume now is to work closely with the President; Vice President, who is from same Borno with him and security agencies to address the unprovoked attacks by insurgents and bandits in the North. “As concerned elders from the Northeast geo-political zone, we wonder why during the days of President Buhari he chose to be silent amid heightened problems of insecurity; pervasive hunger, looting of public funds and bad governance.” While telling the Chief Whip of the Senate to be sensitive to the yearnings of his people in Borno and the entire North, they asked him to give an account of his stewardship over the last 20 years as a lawmaker. They said, “If leadership is as easy as that, we make bold to ask, all these years, how many Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) has he trained, educated and empowered with funds allocated to him?” “Ndume should come out boldly to render an account of his stewardship or we mobilise voters against him come 2027.” The elders, however, called on Northerners to shun what they termed, “Ndume’s divisive vituperations” and support the Tinubu and Shettima’s administration to tackle the security challenges in the North and in other parts of the country.