The All Progressives Congress (APC) has advised Senator Ali Ndume, former Chief Whip of the Senate, to address any concerns or advice he may have for President Bola Tinubu privately rather than publicly criticizing the government’s policies. This advice was given by Bala Ibrahim, the APC’s National Publicity Director, during an interview on Sunday.
Bala Ibrahim acknowledged that everyone has the right to express their views in a democracy, but emphasized that senior figures in the party, such as Ndume, should be cautious when making public statements. He suggested that Ndume should use private channels to communicate with the president instead of airing grievances openly.
This statement follows Ndume’s recent comments urging President Tinubu to take swift action in addressing the hardships faced by Nigerians. Ndume, who represents the Borno South Senatorial District in the National Assembly, had raised concerns that some individuals close to the president were implementing harmful policies, which he claimed were worsening the living conditions of Nigerians.
In a statement released on Friday, Ndume said, “Those who are bent on making the President look bad will stop at nothing in inflicting pain on Nigerians through the so-called reforms until things get out of hand, and the blame will be on President Tinubu.” He further called on the government to address issues related to hyperinflation and the rising cost of essential goods and services, which he said were affecting millions of citizens.
This is not the first time Senator Ndume has publicly criticized President Tinubu. Earlier this year, the APC requested that he be removed from his position as Senate Chief Whip due to similar remarks he made on a live television program. At the time, Ndume had accused the president’s inner circle of shielding Tinubu from the realities of the challenges Nigerians were facing.
Despite his public apology after the incident and the APC’s pardon, the Senate has yet to reinstate Ndume as Chief Whip.
When asked if the APC would consider taking action against Ndume for his latest comments, Ibrahim stated that the party is not looking to suppress opinions but stressed that public figures must be mindful of their words.
He said, “In a democracy, people have the right to own opinion and ventilate their positions without anyone suppressing it. Ali Ndume is one of the President’s advisers at large. If you happen to belong to the same party as the President, you must share certain things with him because he is working on the policies or agenda of the party.
“As a senior party member, a legislator and former Chief whip for that matter, Ndume is an adviser by extension to all the leaders in our party. Therefore, he has ways of reaching out to them in private without necessarily going public. People must take note of their position and the fact that they have followers who will go to an extent to assess them based on what they say or do.
“Many people hold Ndume in high esteem. So he must always weigh his words for fear of being misquoted or misinterpreted. But I want to believe he is doing so in good faith. Whether the APC is disappointed or will consider any sanction in a decision to be taken by the party.”
