Leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) officially filed a complaint with the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, against Mohammed Ndume over his recent utterances against the administration of President Bola Tinubu. In a letter addressed to Akpabio and read on the floor of the Senate, National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, and the National Secretary, Bashir Ajibola, called on Ndume to resign from the APC because of his ongoing criticism of President Tinubu’s administration.
In the letter, the APC national leadership asked the ruling party in the Senate to replace Ndume with Mohammed Tahir Monguno as the new chief whip. Monguno, who hails from Borno State, represents Vice President Kashim Shettima and is a close ally to him. Before his new appointment, Monguno headed the judiciary committee.
The party’s request was granted, and Ndume was immediately replaced through a voice vote presided over by Akpabio. Ndume was not in the chamber when his removal was announced. He was also removed as vice chairman of the appropriations committee and named Senate Committee chairman on Tourism.
The APC stated that Ndume’s utterances were affecting foreign direct investments into the country and turning Nigerians against the administration of President Tinubu, who is working hard to address inherited problems. The party emphasized that it could no longer sit back and allow Ndume to “set the country on fire with his careless utterances.” They mentioned that Ndume claimed the administration of Tinubu is “populated by thieves.”
“Ndume has continued to attack President Tinubu and his administration, even though he is a member of APC. He has continued to attack this government.
“His recent interview is another clear example. We urge him to resign his membership of APC. His frequent attacks are affecting foreign-direct investments into the country. We cannot continue to sit back and allow Ndume to attack this administration.
“We call on the leadership of the Senate to sanction him and replace him as the Senate chief whip. He can no longer continue to represent the party as the chief whip. We urge the caucus of the APC to immediately replace him and in his place, appoint Mohammed Monguno as the chief whip,” the party said in the letter.
In another move, the Senate made a failed attempt to suspend Ndume. Olusegun Fasuyi from Ekiti North moved a motion claiming that Ndume’s utterances inflicted injuries on his personality. However, Akpabio resisted his appeal that Ndume should be referred to the Ethics Committee, where he would be recommended for a six-month suspension.
In an interview last week, Ndume complained that certain individuals were preventing people from seeing President Tinubu. Sources in the Senate revealed that individuals who plotted the move against Ndume had put Akpabio in a serious dilemma. Ndume is the second-ranking senator from the North targeted by Tinubu’s men, both in the Villa and in the Senate. In March, Abdul Ningi was suspended. Ndume was the director general of the Stability Group, which ensured Akpabio’s victory as Senate President in June 2023.
According to multiple sources, moving against Ndume could polarize the Stability Group and reinforce the impression that Akpabio is a willing tool in the hands of Tinubu. The sources revealed that certain senators from the South West, known as Tinubu’s boys in the Senate, who ensured Ningi was suspended despite entreaties from their colleagues, played a role in putting Akpabio under pressure to submit to the demand to deal with Ndume. The sources named four senators and a former House of Representatives speaker as the arrowheads behind the move to oust Ndume.
Northern senators have warned against another plan to destabilize the caucus, barely a few months after Ningi was suspended. One senator said Ndume did not criticize Tinubu but only raised an alarm that he was being prevented from meeting with people who may tell the president the realities on the ground.
Meanwhile, the leadership of the Labour Party (LP) condemned the removal of Senator Ndume over his vociferous stand with the suffering masses, noting that the action signified that “speaking truth to power” is now a crime in Nigeria. In a statement issued by the National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, the party said the humiliation of Ndume by the Goodwill Akpabio-led Senate portrayed dictatorial inclinations.
“The dimension this administration is taking is grave. A few months ago, Senator Abdul Ningi exposed the rot in the government where the Senate leadership and the executive collaborators allegedly padded the budget. That got him suspended and intimidated out of his lawful representative role as a senator.
“It is needless talking about the economic crisis ongoing in Nigeria even where an ongoing are massively enriching themselves. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) recently said that food inflation has risen to 40.66 per cent. Similarly, the 2023 State of Food Security and Nutrition World report, has it that the number of food-insecure Nigerians has also increased by 133 per cent have three years. It jumped per cent.8 million between 2014 and 2016 to 148.7 million between 2020 and 2022. It is even worse at the moment.
“Even with all these glaring carrying challenges, the government is scared to have paid about N150 billion naira for a presidential jet, building roads that have no direct bearing on the economic crises in Nigeria.
“The media practitioners are recoiling into their shelves for the fear of reporting the facts about this government for the fear of emasculation and incarceration.
“What is so democratic about the party in government making decisions for an independent legislative arm on who takes up a leadership role in our legislature? This a tyranny of a cabal against clearly legislative autonomy. Nigeria gradually descending into dictatorship and we are calling on the citizens to be on alert and put up a defense against the starvation weapon being deployed by this administration.”
The APC leadership’s decision to file a complaint against Ndume and demand his replacement was a significant move that underscored the internal conflicts within the party. The actions against Ndume and the previous suspension of Abdul Ningi highlight the tensions between different factions within the APC and the influence of President Tinubu’s allies in shaping legislative decisions. The Labour Party’s condemnation of these actions reflects broader concerns about the direction of Nigeria’s democracy and the importance of safeguarding freedom of expression and legislative independence.
