The Senate, on Wednesday, dismissed its Chief Whip, Ali Ndume, for criticising President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
The upper chamber replaced Ndume, who represents Borno South Senatorial District and is a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), with Tahir Monguno from Borno North.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced the decision after receiving widespread support from the senators during the plenary session.
The move followed a letter from APC National Chairman Abdullahi Ganduje and Party Secretary Bashir Ajibola, which was read by the Senate President during the session.
The letter from the APC leadership recommended Ndume’s removal due to his “unguarded utterances” against the federal government.
The APC leaders described Ndume as “someone who is bent on dividing the country” and negatively impacting the country’s international standing.
They recommended that his position be taken over by Monguno.
Following the reading of the letter, the Senate President put the recommendation to a vote, and the senators overwhelmingly supported it.
Akpabio approved the recommendation and instructed the Sergeant at Arms to escort Monguno to the seat of the Senate Whip in the front row.
Last week, Ndume criticised President Tinubu, claiming that the President is “caged” in the Presidential Villa and unaware of the hunger many Nigerians are facing due to being surrounded by people preventing him from hearing the truth.
Ndume, who was absent from the plenary, has been vocal about the economic policies of President Tinubu, the resulting economic hardship, food scarcity, and the security crisis.
In addition to being stripped of his position as Chief Whip, he was also removed from his role as Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations.
Ndume has now been reassigned as Chair of the Senate Committee on Tourism.
Ndume had accused forces within the Presidential Villa of isolating President Bola Tinubu and shielding him from genuine voices that could provide him with accurate information.
Ndume, who co-sponsored a motion on food insecurity, expressed deep concern over the government’s perceived inaction amidst the dual crises of food scarcity and security threats.
“Mister President is not aware of what’s happening outside the villa. He’s been fenced off and caged.
“The unavailability of food is exacerbating an already severe crisis. Mr President is not in the picture of what is happening outside the villa.
“He has been fenced off and caged. So many of us won’t go through the backdoor to engage him.
“Now, they have stopped him from talking and he doesn’t have public affairs managers, except that his spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, who writes press statements.
“Nigerians are getting very, very angry. The government is not doing anything about the food scarcity and it needs to do something urgently. We don’t have food reserve.”
He stressed that the food crisis is the worst crisis that any nation could encounter.
He added, “If we add that to a security crisis, it will be severe. 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.”
