A FORMER Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Ali Ndume has apologised to the leadership of the ruling All Progressives Party (APC) for not consulting the party before publicly accusing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration of maladministration.
Ndume who represents Borno South in the upper chamber of the National Assembly, however, said that he stands by his words, insisting that whatever he said or did was out of patriotism.
“Yesterday I was invited by the party and here I am to discuss family matters with what has happened which you are all aware, actually the national chairman is not just a national chairman to me but a father,” the lawmaker said.
“It is not surprising that I was invited to hear my side and we had family discussions. I 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.
“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.”
The senator 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 the APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje and National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru, the party directed the upper chamber to sanction the lawmaker, being a high-ranking leader of the party for deliberately failing to utilise party machinery to vent his anger before going public.
Ndume had Ndume, in an interview with BBC Hausa Service, alleged that President Bola Tinubu was held captive by forces in the Presidential Villa.
According to the high-ranking senator, the forces have been feeding the President 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.
