THE Chief Whip of the Senate, Ali Ndume sustained criticism of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu style of governance may have courted the anger of certain forces in the Presidency who have vowed to make him pay for his “sins”.
Nigerian tribune gathered that peeved by the lawmaker’s recent comment that President Tinubu had been caged by a new cabal in the Villa, the forces during the weekend, in a coordinated plot reportedly reached out to the All Progressives Congress (APC) national leadership and the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, to ensure that Senator Ndume was reprimanded over his perceived antagonism of President Tinubu’s administration, which they described as embarrassing to the President and the ruling party.
The senator representing Borno South had, last week, claimed that President Tinubu had been hijacked by forces in the Presidential Villa whom he alleged do not allow people outside their fold, including ministers have access to the President.
The federal lawmaker further claimed that the President does not have the true picture of the economic challenges facing Nigerians occasioned by his policies.
He said: ”The President should wake up, it seems he isn’t in the picture of what is happening because he has been caged off. He has been fenced off by plutocrats. He should open his doors and meet those who will tell him the truth. Unfortunately, the people who will tell him the truth won’t struggle to meet him. I am very worried not only for the President himself but myself.”
Investigation revealed that the APC National Working Committee at the weekend upbraided the Senate Chief Whip, accusing him of making outlandish allegation against the present administration.
A statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, issued, on Saturday, dismissed Ndume’s allegation that Tinubu has been caged in the Villa and further described the lawmaker as an attention seeker.
A party source, however, told the Nigerian Tribune that a former lawmaker and now presidential aide, who was said to have instigated the party to issue the statement to condemn Senator Ndume, is also putting pressure on the president of the Senate to take certain reprisal action against Ndume in order to jolt him to withdraw what the Villa forces described as his needless antagonism of the President.
Akpabio in dilemma
Multiple sources revealed that Akpabio has been told to announce a re-jig of existing Committees of the Senate to remove the Senate Chief Whip from the Committee on Appropriation, where he is the current deputy chairman. Ndume may also lose his exalted position as Senate Chief Whip.
According to the sources privy to the plot, “Akpabio is, however, in a dilemma. Ndume was the Director General of the Stability Group, the campaign team that ensured his emergence as Senate President. Moving against Ndume could polarise the rank of his loyal team.
“Few months after Senator Ningi suspension and recall, it could also send a wrong signal to the Northern Caucus that they have been marked for annihilation by the Tinubu presidency, using its foot soldiers in the National Assembly,” a source said.
The sources revealed that some senators from the South-West whom their colleagues often referred to as Tinubu boys in the Red Chamber, have been railroaded into the orchestrated plot against Ndume..
Said a source: “These same set of lawmakers, who ensured that the senator representing Bauchi Central, Abdul Ningi was suspended despite pleas from their colleagues are putting Akpabio under pressure to submit to the demand to checkmate Ndume.”
Ndume could however not be reached for comment. He neither picked his calls nor responded to text messages sent by the Nigerian Tribune reporter.
Meanwhile, a group, under the aegis of Concerned Northern Forum (CNF), has thrown its weight behind Ndume.
A statement by its national coordinator, Mallam Abdulkadir Kura, which maintained that the Forum has no relationship with Ndume, declared that the group was impressed by what it called the patriotic stance of the Senate Chief Whip on pressing national issues.
He said the nation economy was in a precarious situation and well meaning Nigerians must not be afraid to say the truth in the face of the excruciating pains thrown up by the economic policies of the Tinubu administration.
He said: “We members of CNF deem it necessary to address some of the issues that surrounded the interview Senator Ndume had with Arise TV last Thursday. In that interview, Ndume came clear without recourse to political affiliation and said nothing but the truth.
“Although, this was not the first time the Chief Whip criticised or challenged policies of the federal government, as he has done so consistently during the past administration of former Presidents Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari, such criticisms by Ndume have led to positive changes by the listening governments at that time.
“Presently, it is true that millions of Nigerians cannot even have two square meals a day due to exorbitant rises in the prices of foods items such as common Gari, Maize, tomatoes etc, and most importantly, people cannot sleep with their two eyes closed due to insecurity, such as kidnapping, Banditry, terrorism among other criminalities in the land.
“We however found it unfortunate and condemnable that some people, particularly those who have been milking from the national cake under the present administration join forces in attacking Ndume’s truthful and realistic statement on the current situation in the land.
“It is on record that Ndume is a critical stakeholder of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and a close ally of President 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 needs to be celebrated by all and sundry, just like the NCF strongly backed him in all ramifications.”
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