Ali Ndume has addressed his removal as the Chief Whip of the Senate, asserting that his actions did not justify his dismissal. Ndume was removed from his position following criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Subsequently, he declined the chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Tourism, citing a lack of experience and exposure necessary for the role.
Speaking from his hometown of Maiduguri on Friday, 48 hours after his removal, Ndume stated that he never sought the position of Senate Whip, having previously served as the leader in the eighth Senate.
“I did not say anything wrong. Therefore, I stand by all my statements in the interview I granted,” Ndume asserted.
“I know that I’m not wrong. The people are not wrong by speaking the truth and standing by the truth,” the 64-year-old senator continued. “I pray that the president, who by now should have received the message, looks at what I have said and takes appropriate measures to alleviate the suffering of the people.”
Ndume mentioned that he was offered the opportunity to choose a committee vice-chairmanship role, having played a key role in the campaign that led to Godwill Akpabio’s emergence as Senate President.
“The party recommended my removal as the Chief Whip, and I accept that as an act of God. If it was God who gave me that position, it is God who took it through the APC. I bear no grudges,” Ndume stated.
“I did not contest to be the Chief Whip or the vice chairman of the Appropriation Committee. I contested to be one of the Senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and God granted me that victory. I am content with what God has given me.”
Declining the Tourism Committee chairmanship, Ndume explained, “I am inexperienced in tourism and would prefer to remain an ordinary member to learn about it.”
Ndume, a founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), also addressed calls for his resignation from the party.
He recalled being one of the twenty-two senators from the PDP who formed the APC when Abdullahi Ganduje was a deputy governor in Kano State.
“When former President Muhammadu Buhari and President Bola Tinubu asked me to sign a document to join APC, I consulted my people before going public.
I will consult my people before deciding whether to leave the APC or not,” Ndume said.
