Ex-Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Ali Ndume, on Tuesday told President Bola Tinubu to surround himself with people who will tell him the truth, rather than having ‘yes men’ all around him, having been a kingmaker for years before he became Nigerian leader.
Speaking on Arise Television, Ndume stated that Tinubu has filled his government with ‘dependants’ who cannot look him in the face, stating that the situation portends a bad omen for the country.
Ndume also stated that ex-Governor of Kaduna state, Nasir el-Rufai, deserved the treatment he got from the President after he was dropped as minister, having also abandoned the camp of former Governor of Rivers state, Rotimi Amaechi, who came second during the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primaries in 2023.
“You don’t form your government with dependents. And worst of all, is that the president was a kingmaker. So when a kingmaker becomes a king, then there is a problem which he must identify by himself. This is so that he can have people that will stand up to him and tell him the truth. This is now what is lacking in this government.
“And I still stand on it until there is a change, that this is a government of ‘Kakistocrats’ and kleptocrats,” Ndume stated.
During the interview, Ndume, who was the campaign manager of the Amaechi presidential campaign in 2023, stated that the APC may capsize, as it is being currently overloaded by all kinds of characters.
He stressed that after the nomination of Tinubu, Amaechi agreed to work with him, but noted that despite scheduling a meeting to meet with the Amaechi camp, the meeting never held, a development that led to the total breakdown of whatever remained of the relationship between the former Rivers governor and the current president.
“We had 315 votes. We gave them a good fight. And then after that, we thought things would go on fine. Because I remember vividly that Tinubu, the governor of Lagos and the current minister of defence, called to say he wanted to come and meet with myself and Amaechi. So we agreed.
“And at that time, I remember I was to go for Hajj. And so the President said, look, we want you to come on board and let’s work together. And we agreed. And then we agreed that we will meet after I come back. And that meeting did not hold. That was how they abandoned Amaechi. So it’s not his fault.
“But you know, as you see, Amaechi worked for the president. I can tell you that after he lost, he was part of the Presidential Campaign Council (PCC). And many others joined us. El-rufai was supposed to be on our side. And somehow, you know, he moved over. And I think this is part of the things that are annoying him or frustrating him.
“He was on our side, Amaechi’s side. He made up his mind to support Tinubu. And Tinubu, as he rightly said, that he should not leave and that he should come on board. So since then, I’ve not been that close to El-erufai because he abandoned our group and went to support Tinubu fully.
“He really mobilised and he did a lot. Then Tinubu asked him to join the government. But somehow up till now, I don’t understand what happened between el-Rufai and Tinubu, but that is not my business.
“And I sometimes say, okay you did that to us too. It’s payback to yourself. But I cannot understand, up to now, I was the chief whip. El-Rufai came to the chamber and we asked him to take a bow and go or even to just lay out some plans. I’m not Erufai’s fan or friend or anything, but the truth must be told. You see, that was where Mr. President got it wrong,” he added.
In addition, Ndume said that the government has been personalised, especially with the current situation where the National Assembly has almost fused with the executive, expressing the fear that a little criticism could again land him in trouble.
Besides, Ndume maintained that Tinubu mishandled the crisis in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), with the exit of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso from the regional organisation.
“Honestly, that is an area where…the president lost it when he was the chairman. But because the president has been cocooned, those that would help would not necessarily push themselves,” he argued.
In addition, Ndume urged the President to fire the persons that compiled the recent June 12 honourees list, maintaining that they went all out to embarrass the President.
“Look at what they did now. Embarrassing Mr. President when he honoured some people. They honoured a living man posthumously. Two people. When I said there are cockroaches there, they would insult me. But what is this? Error of omission, commission and stupidity.
“It was embarrassing on Mr. President. If I was the president, whoever is responsible for that, I will fire him and get somebody that knows the job,” Ndume pointed out.
He stated that the National Assembly has become less democratic, describing the situation as unfortunate. He posited that the National Assembly has become a group of people whose job has become that of approval, rather than deliberation.
“It has become less democratic. Let me say, it’s very unfortunate. If you look at what the Senate or the National Assembly historically was built, the Senate is supposed to be a house of deliberation, where people will deliberate on policies of government, actions of government, spendings of government. That we are not doing now. We are more of an approving institution.
“We are just giving unnecessary support to the executive. That division of executive, legislature and judiciary is no longer there. Government has to some extent now, been personalised and privatised,” he opined.
Emmanuel Addeh
