Senator Mohamed Ali Ndume (Borno South) has been removed as Chief Whip by the Senate.
The decision was supported by members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Senate Caucus through a voice vote led by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during the plenary session on Wednesday.
Tahir Mungono (Borno North) has been appointed as Ndume’s replacement.
This move follows Ndume’s recent criticisms of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
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.
SaharaReporters had earlier reported that Senator Ali Ndume, the Chief Whip of the Nigerian Senate, issued a scathing indictment of the Nigerian government, characterising it as a “kakistocracy”, a system where the most incompetent, corrupt, and unscrupulous individuals hold sway, and decrying the reign of ineptitude and malfeasance in the country’s leadership.
Ndume during an interview with Arise TV programme on Friday, 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.
This harsh assessment highlights the deep-seated issues and challenges facing Nigeria’s political landscape.
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.