August 06, (THEWILL) – Former Senate Chief Whip and lawmaker representing Borno South Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Ali Ndume, has apologised to the All Progressives Congress (APC) over his criticism of the President Bola Tinubu-led administration.
This follows a meeting on Tuesday, with the party’s leadership, at its National Secretariat in Abuja.
THEWILL had reported that Ndume was removed as Chief Whip of the Senate following complaints by the leadership of the APC over his criticism of the President Bola Tinubu-led administration. He was also removed as vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriation.
The lawmaker had, in an interview with Arise TV programme, said the country is being led by those who are unfit to govern, prioritising personal interests over the well-being of the nation and its citizens.
“The government is also populated by kleptocrats, but unfortunately that is not what the president is up to; he really meant renewed hope, but you can only do that when you have people around you that are on the same type of thinking”, he added.
Also speaking in an interview with BBC Hausa, Ndume criticised President Tinubu over the food insecurity in the country. He told the BBC that the president has shut his doors against his Ministers.
His criticisms of the government had sparked a backlash. While he was removed as Senate Chief Whip, his party, the APC also asked him to resign his membership and join any opposition party of his choice.
Speaking with newsmen after he visited the leadership of APC on Tuesday, in Abuja, Ndume accepted his mistake of not talking to the party before going public.
He said, “Yesterday, I was invited by the party and here I am to discuss family matters. Actually, the national chairman is not just a national chairman to me but a father. With what has happened which you are all aware, it is not surprising that I was invited to hear my own side and we had family discussions and I actually 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. That is something that moving forward I will do but whatever I said or whatever I did was out of patriotism and those issues may be said strongly but they are true but then I should have talked to the party as the last bus stop.
“My membership, I have not been expelled, even the party did not say we don’t want you here, because he is my father, the party is my father, the only thing the party said is that look if you don’t want this house you can go to any house. Where will I go? This is my house.
“The President and the Senate have nothing to do with this. The President did not take offence, I didn’t insult the President, I didn’t say anything against the party but I left the party out of reaching it on issues and so, please I think that is all I can say”.
On his part, the APC National Chairman Abdullahi Ganduje said the party was satisfied with Ndume’s apology and would convey the same to the leadership of the Senate with a view to having it review its position.
“We are quite satisfied with his apology. Like he said, we invited him and you know the party is the father of everybody. As a party, we are free to invite legislators, we are free to invite members of the executive, and we are even free to invite all the appointed party members in the government, so that is why we decided to come.
“It is a family issue, we need to resolve it and we are writing to the National Assembly conveying what has transpired between Senator Ndume and the party and you know he apologised to the party and we will convey the same issue to the National Assembly, with the hope they can review their position”, he said.
