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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.”
Peter Obi, candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has given assignment to Nigerians to put all those aspiring to take up political positions in the country through the grill to ascertain their level of integrity, saying it was required as a sine qua non for the job they seek.
Obi, who has been a subject of discussion in the polity since the allegation of corruption was levied against him by Kenneth Okonkwo, spokesman of his campaign in 2023, over the conduct of the party’s primaries to choose candidates for the 2027 general elections, said the grilling must start with his own person.
A guest in an interview on a podcast with Rufai Oseni, a popular television anchor, the former Governor of Anambra State, stated that it was actually for this reason that he had now sworn to see the litigation he instituted against Okonkwo through.
His take is that the Nollywood actor should use the courtrooms to give all the details of bad behaviour, following his threat to expose him fully, after alleging that he was collecting money from aspirants in the said election for electoral favours.
Hear him: “The issue of taking Kenneth Okonkwo to court wouldn’t have arisen if he had stopped at those allegations. But he claimed he still has more he would expose about me in the future. So, I am very happy to take him to court so that he can expose me publicly, alongside other Nigerians. If any of them has any criminal allegations against me, they should bring them to court.
“Not just Kenneth, everybody should now say those things they know that is bad about me or I did that is wrong because it’s good for the system, it’s good for the society,” Obi said.
“So, if you know that when we were in primary school, this man was cheating or didn’t go to the primary school, didn’t go to secondary school, didn’t do, if you know this man has done something criminal somewhere, this is time to bring it up.”
For the umpteenth time, Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has warned about the dangerous implication of using state institutions, particularly the judiciary to destroy Nigeria’s democracy, saying it is an ill-wind that blows nobody any good.
Atiku, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), speaking on the heels of Tuesday’s verdict of the Court of Appeal, halting the de-registration order by the Federal High Court, insisted that judicial officers must not lend themselves to any act capable of undermining the nation’s democratic process.
The appellate court had ordered a stay of execution on the order made on Monday by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court Abuja, for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the ADC alongside four other political parties).
A totally scandalised Court of Appeal, sitting in Abuja, had taken umbrage, sparing no hard words in upbraiding the lower court judge, stating that his likes were unfit to sit on the bench.
In a unanimous ruling by a three-man panel, the court held that Lifu’s action was “the highest form of judicial impertinence”, stressing that the Supreme Court previously held that a judge who acted in such a manner.
Describing his conduct as the height of judicial rascality, the upper court, stated: “Courts are enjoined to protect their integrity. This Court has supervisory authority over the trial court.
“The decision of the lower court to proceed with the judgment despite the express order of this court is a brazen violation of the hierarchy of the court and the 1999 Constitution.
This court has the duty to invoke its powers in ensuring that its orders are obeyed. The application for a stay of execution is here yet granted. The enforcement of the judgment is stayed.”
Atiku, who hailed the position of the higher court, which restored his hope to be on the ballot as presidential candidate in the 2027 election, also noted the role of INEC as “significant.”
He said: “I welcome the Court of Appeal’s decision to stay the execution of the Federal High Court judgement seeking the deregistration of our great party, the ADC, and four other political parties. It is particularly significant that INEC itself initiated the application for the stay.
“The development reflects growing public concern over judicial contradictions and politically charged rulings within the judiciary. “Any attempt to undermine Nigeria’s hard-won democracy through judicial manipulation is a grave danger to the Republic. If our democracy suffers further injury, history will demand accountability from those entrusted with dispensing justice.
Outside ADC, Lifu’s order, also included: Action Democratic Congress (ADC), Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP) and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), similarly slammed for allegedly failing to meet the constitutional requirements for continued registration and participation in elections.
“He is running in contempt of the court. Justice Lifu should be arrested because he is acting in contempt of the court which is a criminal act,” were the exact words with which the African Democratic Congress (ADC), demonstrated its angst over the court ruling on Monday, ordering its de-registration as a political party in Nigeria.
A furious Bolaji Abdullahi, spokesman of the party, told his host while appearing as a guest on Monday’s edition of Politics Today, a public affairs programme on Channels Television that the judge of the Abuja Federal High Court who gave the order was actually playing with fire because of the consequences.
Directly accusing him of playing the script of the All Progressives Congress (APC), to ensure that President Bola Tinubu emerged the sole candidate for the 2027 presidential election, the party spokesman, was emphatic that the plan would not work, as head or tail, ADC must be on the ballot in all the elections.
Hear him: “There is a Court of Appeal order saying don’t hear this case until October 27. So, on what basis? You can’t place something on nothing. The Court of Appeal said don’t act on this until I hear it on October 27. So, on what basis did he deliver the judgement
“So, for us in the African Democratic Congress, what we’re convinced and they know is what they have done has no leg to stand on legally. What they want to do is to create doubts in the minds of the people that this ADC has too many legal cases, can we actually run on this? And to distract us. But we’re not distracted.
“We’re very clear. It was in spite of all they have done since ADC came on board that we ran one of the best and one of the most comprehensive direct primaries in the history of democracy in Nigeria. So, we are strong enough to withstand this. And that’s why I’m saying that we are going to contest in 2027. We’re ADC. We don’t buckle before dictatorship.”
Stressing on the implication of the judgement, which also affected Accord Party (AP), Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) for allegedly failing to meet constitutional and electoral performance requirements, following a suit by the National Forum of Former Legislators, he said it portended grave danger.
He added: “We are not surprised. We know that the Nigerian people believe that there is a problem with the judiciary, but what we did not expect is the level of judicial rascality that was demonstrated today.
“What we are saying is that we reject it in its totality, and we are saying that the people behind this are playing with fire. Hundreds, if not thousands, have obtained nomination forms and contested elections and emerged as candidates on the platform of the ADC.”
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