Leaders of the Southern Borno Chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, have demanded the immediate reinstatement of Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume to his position as Senate Chief Whip.
Spokesperson for the APC group, Baba Ahmed Mustapha, made this demand during a press conference on Friday in Abuja.
The APC leaders while expressing support for Ndume for speaking truth to power, said there was nothing wrong with his decision to point President Bola Tinubu to the hardships Nigerians were going through.
They urged the APC National Working Committee, NWC, and the Senate to reinstate Ndume as the Chief Whip of the Senate, stressing that Ndume has no plans to leave the party.
They also faulted a recent verbal attack by one Mr Daniel Bwala, on Ndume, describing him as an inconsistent fellow whose political antecedents are not so legendary.
“We appreciate and respect Daniel Bwala’s right to express his opinion on any issue as guaranteed by the Constitution just as the Senator when he knew that the observations made were within the bounds of the Constitution.
“As a learned lawyer, he knew that the provision of section 39 which guarantees the freedom of expression is applicable to all citizens. We make no excuses for the Senator. As a being, he has deficiencies. As a politician, he may not have lived up to people’s expectations. But we are proud that he has stood up to be counted when it matters most.
“He refused to behave like the ostrich, who, seeing the approaching storm, buried its head in the sand. His statement was made within the context of a call for a proactive action by the government rather than an instigation against it,” They said.
They wondered why Bwala who once accused President Tinubu of ruling with a stolen mandate could turn out to support what he had condemned.
Reinstate Ndume as Senate Chief Whip now – Borno APC leaders