Ousted Chief Whip of the Senate of the federation, Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume has said, he has accepted his recent removal by the Senate following the petition of the
National Working Committee(NWC) of All Progressives Congress(APC) on Wednesday.
Senator Ndume, who represents Borno South at the Senate, stated this on Friday in Maiduguri when he came in due to the demise of his sister-In-law.
Speaking with newsmen after the Third Day funeral prayers at his residence, he said: “I had wanted to react, but because I was mourning since the day I was illegally removed as Chief Whip of the Senate, I now deem it fit to do so.
“I am a democrat and a realist, and someone who always says the truth no matter whose ox is gored.
“According to the former US President, Mr. Theodore Roosevelt, and I quote: ‘Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official, save exactly to the degree in which he stands by the country. It is patriotic to support him insofar as he efficiently serves the country. It is unpatriotic not to oppose him to the exact extent that by inefficiency or otherwise, he fails in his duty to stand by the country. In either event, it is unpatriotic not to tell the truth, whether about the president or anyone else’.
“Therefore, I do not regret what I said during my interview with Arise TV. I thank all Nigerians who took to their social media platforms and groups who issued a press statement aligning with my statement regarding excruciating hunger and insecurity under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“Secondly, the NWC of our great party, APC recommended to the Senate that I should be removed which they did, I took that as an act of God, because, it is God that gave me that mandate as Chief Whip, so I bear no grudges about what transpired, after all, I do not contest to be the Chief Whip or to be the Vice Chairman of the Appropriation Committee. Rather, I contested to be a senator representing Southern Borno and the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“So, it’s not that I am desperate, I am over 64 years old now, and I thank God. As for the Chairman, Senate Committee on Tourism offered to me, I want to say that, I am not a Tourist and not good at Tourism, as it is, I have spent over 10 years without going to any foreign countries, and I have never been to United Kingdom, even United States of America which I went to when I was schooling there.
“I was happy yesterday when the President approved the minimum wage to N70,000 only. It is a good move, but the minimum wage is still minimal compared to a 50kg bag of rice which costs over N70,000.
“On the advice that I am free to join the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, or any political party of my choice, I want to reiterate that, I am one of the founding members of the APC. It is the people of my constituency and teaming supporters that will decide for me whether to stay in APC, join another party, or quit politics. Whatever their advice is, I will work with them.
“On whether I will take the matter to court, I want to say that, I will not go to court, I surrendered my case to Almighty Allah (God)”
Senator Ndume, however, implored his constituents and Nigerians to continue to pray for God to have mercy on the masses, restore peace in the land, and to remain calm and law-abiding always as things unfold.
The ousted Chief Whip had, on a television programme, accused Tinubu’s presidency of running a solo government despite hunger across the land.
The APC in the letter read by the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, also asked Ndume to resign from the party and join either the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, or any of the opposition parties.
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