Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticized the removal of Senator Ali Ndume as the Chief Whip of the Nigerian Senate, calling it a manifestation of the Senate’s puppetry to President Bola Tinubu.
Atiku stated that Ndume’s removal for speaking out against the government’s handling of the economy is a clear indication of the executive’s despotic tendencies.
Atiku, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 general election, expressed concern over the Senate’s reversal of its core function, becoming a puppet in the hands of the President.
He emphasized that the legislative arm of government was conceived to protect the people from executive excesses, but the current administration has become an anathema to that principle.
The former Vice President’s statement comes after Ndume was replaced by Tahir Monguno (Borno North) as the Chief Whip of the Senate, a move seen as a punitive measure for his criticism of the government.
