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Ndume explodes again! Tinubu’s govt deep in nepotism *It’s illegal to appoint 70% Yoruba!
Ali Ndume, Senator representing Borno South, appears unnerved by the hard measures taken against him by the All Progressives Congress (APC), by stripping him of his hitherto position of Senate Chief Whip, last year, as he came with another explosive outing on Monday, directed at the same President Bola Tinubu that got him in trouble with the party.
Ndume, in July 2024, had accused Tinubu of running a government of kleptocracy and Khakistocracy, in an in interview he granted ARISE NEWS, which led the leadership of the APC to move against him, leading to his removal as a principal officer of the Senate.
But apparently undeterred by the measure, the Senator from the terrorism-ravaged state of Borno, came out hard on Tinubu, all but accusing him of filling political positions with people from the South West in disobedience to the Federal Character principle of Nigeria.
A guest of Prime Time, a public affairs programme on the same ARISE NEWS, Ndume, accused Tinubu of not only giving more than 70 per cent of the appointments to Yoruba indigenes, also lamented that even those who were given the jobs had no idea of how to use it to better the lots of Nigerians, who had remained worse off since the President came into power two years ago.
“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.
“When you look at it vis-a-vis the appointments made so far, and there are political appointments. If they were appointments that are professional, like you don’t appoint somebody who is not a soldier to be Chief of Army Staff or somebody who is not a policeman to be the IG of police and you can’t appoint the person when he is not qualified.
But then, when you come to look at political appointments, the constitution is very clear. And it is because of avoiding such infractions that the constitution, section 14 (3) 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.
“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.”
“I think I have better personal relationship than most of these people that are talking about President Tinubu. In the north, if you count five people that have close relationship with Mr President, Ndume is one of them. But that does not stop me from speaking the truth. I have obligations to do that, especially when all of us know that at the end of it all, 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.
“And that is why we always get it right. 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 – he’s a frustrated person. The facts are there. These are the facts. I’m not the one who created it, these are facts that were created by people who were there.
“It’s not about juicier jobs, it is about spread, it’s about equity, it is about justice. Look, the coming of Mr. President is based on justice, equity and fairness and it is expected that he will continue in that direction to ensure fairness, because he swore that as President to be fair, equitable and justful. That’s what the President swore to be.
“But that is not what is being reflected in the events – whether he knows it or he doesn’t know – that’s why I’ve called his attention to look at these things that he can do something about it. That is the issue.”
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has appealed the judgement of the federal high court in Abuja nullifying the timelines issued for the conduct of party primaries and the nomination of candidates.
Alex Izinyon SAN, leading a team of lawyers of the commission in a notice of appeal dated May 25, raised nine grounds it urged the appellate court to consider and vacate the judgment the Federal High Court in Abuja delivered on May 20.
Apart from raising the issue of jurisdiction, which it said the lower court did not determine, INEC also maintained that the legal action the Youth Party (YP) initiated against it was not only hypothetical but academic.
Arguing that failure of the trial court to make pronouncements on the issues, resulted in the denial of fair hearing to the Appellant, the commission also stressed the lower court misinterpreted the provisions of the electoral act.
It said: “The high court erred in law when it held that: ‘It is clear from the wordings of Sections 29(1), 82 and 84 of the Electoral Act, 2026, the following can be understood. Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026 mandates Political Parties to submit the names of candidates in prescribed forms of the candidates who emerged from its valid primaries which such a political party intends to sponsor at the elections, not later than 120 days before the date of the General Election.
“What is required of Political Parties to do under the Electoral Act, 2026 is to notify the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) 21 days before the holding of its primaries, congresses or conventions, days before the holding of its primaries, congresses or conventions, or any conference or meeting convened for the election of its executive committees, other governing bodies for nominating candidates.
“The Defendant is not mandated to impose a timeframe for political parties to conduct their primaries provided that it will be done and submitted not later than the 120 days provided by the Electoral Act, 2026. See Section 82(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026.”
It was another day of misery in Kwara State, when daredevil terrorists reportedly stormed Yashikira Community in Baruten Local Government Area of Kwara State, and as has been the case in many of the attacks, abducting scores of residents including women and children.
But, apparently to register their authority, the gunmen, who were said to have operated for hours without challenge from the security operatives, were said to have torched the palace of the Emir.
The attackers, which reportedly occurred late Sunday night were said to have announced their presence through heavy firing and after storming the palace of the monarch during the period, set it on fire before whisking away their victims, but a similar attempt at the police station in the community, was repelled.
While some of the residents, narrated how the spent hours without resistance, leaving behind destruction and fear in the border community, another account said the villagers were caught unawares as the gunmen invaded the town under the cover of darkness.
However operatives made up of the police and military personnel, were said to have launched a manhunt immediately for the immediate rescue of the victims, including throwing a cordon in the area as part of the mission.
“The suspect offered ₦500 million to the SPU commander in an attempt to make the team stand down and allow him to contact his associates to move the consignment elsewhere. The offer was rejected immediately and properly documented for further investigation.”
These were the exact words of Olohundare Jimoh Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), with which he detailed how operatives of the Zone 2 Command of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) scoffed at a N500million bribe to turn their eyes off the importation of a huge consignment of drugs imported into the country.
This was part of the details of a major breakthrough by the operatives after bursting a major drug trafficking syndicate in Lagos, which led to the seizure of suspected illicit drugs estimated at ₦7.8 billion and arresting several suspects, including the alleged kingpin.
In the operation, reportedly carried out by officers of the Special Protection Unit (SPU) in collaboration with divisional police detectives, the operatives, were said to have stormed a house in Mende, Maryland area of Lagos, following months of surveillance and intelligence gathering coordinated by the Zone 2 Headquarters.
The recovered drugs consisted of hundreds of bags of suspected Canadian Loud, allegedly stored in the residence of the prime suspect, Jimoh, said disclosing that the suspect was apprehended on May 19 after weeks of strategic monitoring by operatives.
Offering further details, he said the operation was executed with technical support and guidance from the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Disu, alongside coordinated efforts between the SPU and divisional police teams.
Jimoh revealed that during the operation, the suspect allegedly attempted to bribe the SPU commander with ₦500 million to compromise the mission and allow the movement of the drug consignment.
The AIG described the development as a reflection of the renewed professionalism and operational discipline being entrenched in the Force under the current policing strategy.
He noted that the success of the operation underscored the importance of deploying specialized police units alongside conventional divisional teams in tackling organized crime.
According to him, the operation demonstrated the effectiveness of rapid containment strategies, intelligence-led policing, and professional conduct among the operatives involved in the raid.
“Rapid containment was achieved as the Special Protection Unit worked with divisional teams to secure the perimeter and prevent escape or interference with evidence.
“The operation was intelligence-driven, following months of surveillance and technical monitoring before the raid was carried out.
“The immediate rejection and documentation of the bribe attempt also reflect the standard expected from redeployed personnel at the divisional level,” Jimoh added.
Reacting to the development, the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Disu, commended the operatives for their professionalism, saying the success of the operation validated the ongoing redeployment of personnel to divisions and units across Lagos and Ogun states.
The IGP noted: “Policing must be close to the people, and our specialized units must work side by side with divisional teams on the ground.
“The professionalism shown by the SPU commander in rejecting a ₦500 million bribe and following due procedure is the standard we expect. It shows that when you put your best foot forward at the grassroots, you get results and restore public trust.”
Disu further assured that the Force leadership would continue to reward integrity while holding officers accountable to the highest ethical standards.
Police authorities said exhibits recovered during the operation have been properly documented and will be tendered in court. The suspects are currently in custody while investigations continue to track down other members of the drug trafficking network.
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