The former Senate Chief Whip, Senator Ali Ndume on Tuesday, August 6, apologised to the leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for not consulting the party before publicly accusing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
The Bornu South representative in the upper chamber of the National Assembly, however, said that he stands by his words, insisting that “whatever I said or whatever I did was out of patriotism.”
Ndume was removed and replaced by Senator Mohammed Monguno following a letter by the ruling party to sanction the lawmaker for his hurtful and unguarded statement against the president.
In the letter jointly signed by APC national chairman, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and national secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru directed the upper chamber to sanction the controversial lawmaker, being a high-ranking leader of the party, but deliberately failing to utilise party machinery to vent his anger before going public.
Ndume, in an interview with BBC Hausa Service, alleged that President Bola Tinubu is held captive by forces in the Presidential Villa. Just as he alleged that they have been feeding him with lies and shielding him from selfless Nigerians who can tell him the truth.
His criticism led to his removal from his position as a principal officer in the National Assembly and a committee chairman.
Addressing newsmen after a meeting with the National Working Committee (NWC) which lasted for about two hours, Ndume said he was invited by the party to discuss his removal as a principal officer of the Senate.
Ndume 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 am 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 but whatever I said or whatever I did was out of patriotism and those issues may be said strong but they are true but then I should have talked to the party as the last bus stop.”
Asked about his membership in APC, the Senator said: “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.”
When asked whether he will apologise to the President and the Senate, Ndume said: “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 on issues and so, please I think that is all I can say.”
Confirming Ndume’s apology to the party, the National Chairman said: “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, 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 convey the same issue to the National Assembly, when we do that we hope they can review their position.”
