Borno South Senator Ali Ndume has warned that if President Bola Tinubu fails to address Nigeria’s challenges, he may dump the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Ndume, who was the Director-General of the Rotimi Amaechi Presidential Campaign, spoke during an appearance on Arise News on Tuesday.
Ndume openly stated his displeasure with the state of governance under Tinubu, warning that unresolved national issues could force him to leave the APC.
He declared, “If I decide to leave the APC, I will not hide it.
“I still believe President Tinubu can fix things. Failure to fix those things may cause me to leave the APC.”
He also warned against unchecked defections to the ruling party, saying the APC risks collapse if overloaded with political interests.
“If Tinubu continues this way, it doesn’t matter if he loads more people or governors; you are just endangering the APC.
“When you overload a ship, it might lead to the capsizing of the party,” he said.
He recalled how former Kaduna state governor Nasir El-Rufai initially pledged support for Amaechi during the APC presidential primaries, only to switch camps and fully back Tinubu.
“El-Rufai was supposed to be on our side, but somehow, he moved over.
“I think these are part of the things that are annoying or frustrating him,” he said.
He added, “He was on our side. Amaechi’s side. Before Tinubu was nominated, he made up his mind to support Tinubu, and Tinubu, as he rightly said, said that he should not leave and that he should come on board and join the government.”
Ndume revealed how, as Senate Chief Whip, he and colleagues nearly granted El-Rufai an easy passage through his ministerial screening before his nomination was ultimately denied.
He continued, “But sometimes, I’ll say, ‘Okay, you did that to us; it’s payback to yourself.’”
