- Summons embattled lawmaker over utterances against Tinubu
- We’re satisfied with his apology, says Ganduje
- It’s a family matter – Ndume
The Abdullahi Ganduje-led National Working Committee of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC on Tuesday summoned Senator Ali Ndume to explain his recent utterances against President Bola Tinubu which led to the former’s removal as Senate Whip.
Speaking after the meeting, Ganduje said the party was satisfied with Ndume’s apology and would convey the same to the leadership of the Senate with a view to having it review its position.
Ndume was removed after the NWC wrote the Godswill Akpabio-led Senate, complaining of the Borno senator’s utterances against Tinubu.
Speaking after the meeting at the national secretariat of the APC, Ganduje said, “We are quite satisfied with his apology. Like he said, we invited him and you know the party is the father of everybody. As a party, we are free to invite legislators, we are free to invite members of the executive, and we are even free to invite all the appointed party members in the government, so that is why we decided to come.
“It is a family issue, we need to resolve it and we are writing to the National Assembly conveying what has transpired between Senator Ndume and the party and you know he apologized to the party and we will convey the same issue to the National Assembly, with the hope they can review their position.”
On his part, Ndume conceded that rather than raising some issues on national television, he should have complained to the party leadership.
He said; “Yesterday, I was invited by the party and here I am to discuss family matters. Actually the national chairman is not just a national chairman to me but a father. With what has happened which you are all aware, it is not surprising that I was invited to hear my own side and we had family discussions and I actually 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. That is something that moving forward I will do but whatever I said or whatever I did was out of patriotism and those issues maybe said strongly but they are true but then I should have talked to the party as the last bus stop.
“My membership, I have not been expelled, even the party did not say we don’t want you here, because he is my father, the party is my father, the only thing the party said is that look if you don’t want this house you can go to any house. Where will I go? This is my house.
“The President and the Senate have nothing to do with this. The President did not take offence, I didn’t insult the President, I didn’t say anything against the party but I left the party out of reaching it on issues and so, please I think that is all I can say”.
Ndume was in a letter by the APC co-signed by the Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, and the Secretary, Ajibola Basiru, recently stripped of his position as Chief Whip of the Senate.
Last week, Ndume rejected a new office allocated to him by the Senate Services Committee.
According to parliamentary practices, Ndume was expected to move to another office following his sack as the Whip of the Senate.
Ndume was asked to vacate his current office and move to the third floor to allow for the new Whip Senator Tahiir Monguno to take over the office.
In response to the new office allocation on the third floor, Ndume, in a letter addressed to the Chairman, Senate Services Committee, Senator Sunday Karimi, on June 30, said the office given him does not reflect his seniority and high-ranking posture at the Senate.
The letter, signed by his Chief Confidential Secretary, Shuaibu Gawu, read, “I am directed to inform you that, Distinguished Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume, has rejected the allocation of office number 3.10 by the Committee.
“This is because offices are traditionally allocated on a seniority basis.”
The letter added, “Sen Ndume is the most Senior Senator after Sen Ahmad Lawan and will only occupy an office on the fourth floor.”
