Senator Ali Ndume, representing Borno South, has issued a pointed warning to President Bola Tinubu, suggesting that failure to address Nigeria’s pressing problems could lead him to leave the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Speaking on Arise News, Ndume, who served as Director-General of Rotimi Amaechi’s presidential campaign, expressed dissatisfaction with the current administration’s governance.
Ndume stated, “If I decide to leave the APC, I will not hide it. I still believe President Tinubu can fix things. Failure to fix those things may cause me to leave the APC.” He cautioned against the dangers of the APC being overloaded with political interests, warning, “If Tinubu continues this way, it doesn’t matter if he loads more people or governors, you are just endangering the APC. When you overload a ship, it might lead to the capsizing of the party.”
The senator also took aim at former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, highlighting El-Rufai’s political troubles as consequences of abandoning Amaechi’s camp during the APC presidential primaries. Ndume recalled, “El-Rufai was supposed to be on our side but somehow, he moved over. I think these are part of the things that are annoying or frustrating him.”
Ndume further recounted how El-Rufai was initially supported during his ministerial screening but was ultimately rejected, saying, “Sometimes, I’ll say, ‘okay o, you did that to us, it’s payback to yourself.’” El-Rufai, now a member of the opposition Social Democratic Party, has become a vocal critic of Tinubu after being denied a cabinet position.
In addition, Ndume accused some of Tinubu’s aides of deceiving the president and damaging his image, describing the government as hijacked by “kleptocrats” and “kakistocrats.” Okay.ng reports that Ndume’s comments reflect growing tensions within the APC and concerns over the current administration’s direction.
