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Tag: Senator Ndume

  • Appointments: TInubu is violating principle of federal character -Senator Ndume alleges

    Appointments: TInubu is violating principle of federal character -Senator Ndume alleges

     

    The senator representing Borno South, Ali Ndume, has criticised President Bola Tinubu over what he described as non-compliance with the federal character principle in political appointments.

    Speaking on Arise TV’s Prime Time on Monday, the lawmaker accused the President of violating the constitutional requirement for balanced representation in government appointments.

    Ndume pointed to Section 14(3) of the 1999 Constitution, which mandates that political appointments reflect the country’s diversity.

    “The figures are there. You can look at the figures. I sent you one. I sent you figures. It’s not that I’m just making accusations. And it’s not that I’m saying, well, the president has no right to do that kind of thing.

    “But it’s a constitutional provision. Section 13, I mean, Section 14 (3) of the constitution is very, very clear,” he said.

    The senator added that the current appointments fail to align with the federal character principle as outlined by law.

    “When you look at it vis-a-vis the appointments made so far, and there are political appointments, the constitution is very clear.

    “It is because of avoiding such infractions that the constitution clearly states that appointments, especially political appointments, should reflect the federal character, and that is not the case here.

    “And all I am saying is to call the attention of Mr President to such infractions so that it can be corrected; otherwise, you know, these things can boomerang at a certain period of time”, Ndume stated.

    Ndume, a senior member of the National Assembly, clarified that his comments were not meant as a personal attack on the President but rather a duty tied to his role as a lawmaker.

    “I know, as you rightly say, people look at me as somebody that is critical of the government. I have the right to do that in the first place. And in fact, that’s why I’m in the National Assembly in the first place.

    “Collectively, we are supposed to oversight the acts of Mr President and point out some of these irregularities. That is what we swore to do. It’s not personal”, he added.

    Addressing potential backlash for his remarks, Ndume remained resolute.

    “Each one of us will stand before God, and God will ask him to account for what he is responsible for. Besides, we are all in this government. What will we tell our people? When you have these figures out, it is already viral, it is already in circulation.

    “But you know what, after this interview, those attack dogs or maga-dogs will start attacking Ndume, not the message.

    “It is not about Ndume or me being a senator. As a Nigerian, I have the right to voice out all these things. Not only that, I have the right to even protest. I have the right. That is guaranteed by the constitution. But from tomorrow, those so-called Tinubu boys or people will start attacking Ndume. These are the facts”, the lawmaker said.

    The Punch

  • Atiku queries Ndume’s removal as Chief Whip, says Senate fast becoming Tinubu’s puppet

    Atiku queries Ndume’s removal as Chief Whip, says Senate fast becoming Tinubu’s puppet

    Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has faulted the removal of Senator Ali Ndume as the Chief Whip of the Nigerian Senate.

    Recall Ndume, the lawmaker representing Borno South in the National Assembly, was on Wednesday sacked as the Chief Whip, Ali Ndume, for criticising President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

    He was replaced by Tahir Monguno (Borno North).

    In a statement on Thursday, Atiku criticized the leadership of the Senate for the removal, branding the upper chamber as President Tinubu’s puppet.

    “This ugly tendency is being manifested by the steady posturing of our National Assembly, especially the Senate, of taking a reverse course in its core function and becoming a puppet in the hands of the President,” he said on X.

    “Only yesterday, Senator Ali Ndume called for the President to wake up to his responsibilities and provide succour to address the biting hunger and poverty in the country. Ironically, the response of the @NGRSenate to his patriotic warning is to relieve him of his principal office as the Chief Whip of the Senate.”

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate in the 2023 general election also accused President Tinubu of displaying despotic tendencies.

    He also took a swipe at the Tinubu administration, saying it is displaying excesses contrary to the general principle of democracy.

    “In the evolution of systems of government, a major concern for thinkers was a governmental framework that would reduce the highhandedness of the executive arm of government.

    “It was thought, and rightly so too, that a participatory approach to governance, such that will make the government derive its legitimacy from the people will better serve the interest of the masses.

    “And thus, to make sure that the executive does not go overboard in the application of its powers, the legislative arm of government was conceived as a means of protecting the people from the authoritarian tendencies of wielders of state powers.

    “Regrettably, however, the democracy in Nigeria in the current administration of President Bola Tinubu has become an anathema to that general principle of democracy as providing primary protection for the people against executive excesses,” Atiku stated.

  • Ndume’s replacement says ” I was destined by God to become Chief Whip – Monguno

    Ndume’s replacement says ” I was destined by God to become Chief Whip – Monguno

    Senator representing Borno North, Mohammed Monguno, has said his appointment as Chief Whip of the Senate was a development destined by God.

    Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno said this on Wednesday after his appointment in replacement of Senator Ali Ndume.

    The Borno South Senator, Ali Ndume, was replaced by All Progressives Congress (APC) as Majority Whip following a letter from the party’s leadership read by the senate president, Godswill Akpabio, during plenary.

    Monguno said the utterances of Ndume showed he was a disloyal member of the party.

    He said the decision of Senator Akpabio and the APC caucus to effect the change was right.

    He said, “You know the position of the APC senate caucus is entirely the position of the whole APC and based on what the former Chief Whip of the senate did; his utterances against the government of the APC which clearly portrays him as a disloyal party member.

    “Upon this, the party decided to write officially to the President of the Senate for a replacement because it is within the jurisdiction and confines of the party.

    Based on that, the senate APC caucus unanimously, without a single voice of dissent, agreed that I should take over from Senator Ndume as Chief Whip.”

    Speaking on how he would handle the new position, the Borno South Senator said, “Office the Chief Whip is not a new one to me having sojourned for 20 years in the House of Reps and then ended with the position of Chief Whip for four years and now given the position of Chief whip in the senate it is homecoming.

    “It is not a new office. I know what the office involves, the nitty gritty of the office, what it intends to be a chief whip, the jurisdiction of chief whip having held it in Reps. It was destined for me by God to occupy.”

  • Major reason why Senator Ndume lost out as Senate Chief Whip emerges

    Major reason why Senator Ndume lost out as Senate Chief Whip emerges

    … maybe flushed out of APC

    Facts as to why vocal and popular Senator Ali Ndume was sacked as Chief Whip of the Senate has finally emerged.

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG, had earlier reported how the Borno federal lawmaker was politely exited from his position during plenary on Wednesday.

    Findings by TNG clearly pointed to the fact that Aso Rock was no longer comfortable with the recent outbursts of the former Director General of Akpabio/Barau campaign organisation.

    The Ndume threat got to the hilt after he granted a major national television interview and took the Tinubu led administration to the cleaners.

    This development did not go down well with Aso Rock as Ndume during an interview said “the country is being led by those who are unfit to govern, prioritising personal interests over the well-being of the nation and its citizens.

    He said the “government is going down,” adding that it is “run by kakistocrats”.

    “The government is also populated by kleptocrats, but unfortunately that is not what the president is up to; he really meant renewed hope, but you can only do that when you have people around you that are on the same type of thinking,” he said.

    Ndume expressed concern over recent government policies, such as the cybercrime levy, which faced public opposition.

    Ndume had also criticised the limited access to the president, stating that some ministers only meet the president during council meetings and that the president is often the first to leave.

    “I’m the chief whip, and if the chief whip can’t have access to the president, the new senators won’t have access either,” he said.

    Ndume had emphasised the need for the president to tap into Nigeria’s resources and surround himself with competent individuals, urging him to appoint democrats to key positions and ensure a more inclusive and effective governance.

    He stressed that this would enable the president to harness the country’s potential and tackle pressing challenges.

    “The president needs people who will realise his dream and tell him when something is wrong,” he said.

    Also, after his removal on Wednesday as Chief Whip, the very friendly Senator if not the most friendly in NASS maybe chased out of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.

    In response, the APC’s national leadership, represented by national chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje and Secretary, Ajibola Bashiru, urged Ndume in a letter addressed to the Senate Caucus to resign from the APC and join any opposition party of his choice.

    APC has broken a record for being the first political party in Nigeria to demand for the head of its own in NASS.

  • Half Salary: Cut the salaries of lawmakers by 50% to pay ASUU- Senator Ndume

    Half Salary: Cut the salaries of lawmakers by 50% to pay ASUU- Senator Ndume

    A senator representing Borno south Ali Ndume  has called on the Federal Government to slash the salaries of the National Assembly members by half in order to augment the salaries of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, so as to meet their pressing demands.

    The Borno senator made this known in Borno Maiduguri’s  capital while speaking on the half payment received by members of ASUU.

    He urged the federal government to form a high-powered standing committee of respected educationists and patriotic Nigerians to meet with the leadership of ASUU to address the issues.

    He said, “Even if it means that the National Assembly will reduce sitting allowances or be paid on casual allowances basis whenever they sit at the Lower and upper chambers, by cutting the recurrent expenditure in the budget of the federal lawmakers to settle the ASUU arrears, let it be.

    “We only assemble twice or so in a week and get paid as such.”

    According to Ndume, civil servants who worked from home during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic were paid their full monthly salaries and allowances.

    He said, “So why will the federal government cut university lecturers’ salaries because they went on legitimate strike? Constitutionally, they’re fighting for their rights and privileges.”

    Ndume added, “As a matter of priority and as a public servant in the legislative chambers, we do not work, so why don’t you just give us half salaries and then pay ASUU.”