More troubles seem to be awaiting Senator Ali Ndume (APC, Borno South) as the Senate has decided to further investigate his interview with Arise News television, where he is alleged to have called senators kleptomaniacs.
This was brought to the floor of the Upper Chamber as a point of order by Senator Fasuyi Fasuyi, who observed that by calling senators kleptomaniacs, Ndume had called them thieves.
It would be recalled that the Senate had moved against Ndume as Chief Whip in response to a letter from All Progressives Congress (APC) asking that Ndume be relieved of his position.
Accordingly, the Senate on Wednesday, announced the removal of Ndume as Chief Whip through a voice vote called for by Senate President Godswill Akpabio. during plenary.
The APC’s letter asking for Ndume’s sack was signed by the National Chairman of the party, Umar Ganduje, and the National Secretary, Senator Bashir Ajibola.
The letter accused Ndume of making disparaging remarks against the administration of President Bola Tinubu, citing concerns about the negative impact of his comments on the government’s image and its efforts to attract Foreign Direct Investments.
As a result of the decision, Ndume not only lost his position as the Chief Whip, but also as the Vice-Chairman of the Appropriation Committee. However, Akpabio appointed him as the chairman of the Senate Committee on Tourism.
Furthermore, Senator Adeniyi Adegbonmire, representing Ondo Central, was appointed as the new chair of the Judiciary and Legal Matters Committee, a position initially meant for Monguno.
Ndume’s crime was his allegation the President Bola Tinubu was caged by a cabal in the presidency that kept him from seeing and feeling the huge hunger an overwhelming majority of Nigerians were going through.
This is not the first time Ndume has been removed from a leadership position in the Senate. In January 2017, during the eighth Senate under the leadership of Bukola Saraki, Ndume was also removed from office as Senate minority whip.
