Ndume: NASS leadership pursues Code of silence policy

The leadership of Nigeria’s National Assembly seems to be bent on silencing every opposition or dissent to APC government led President Bola Tinubu. For the up-tempt time, the Godswill Akpabio lead Senate has clamped down on a member, who criticized President Tinubu for his policies and performance.

The latest a couple of weeks ago is Ali Mohammed Ndume, Senator representing Borno South District at the National Assembly, for drawing public attention to apparent insulation of President Tinubu from the national mood, which is characterized by severe economic hardship caused hyperinflation, especially, in the prices of food, for which he was stripped of his leadership position as Chief Whip.

Ndume is an unusual man by the National Assembly standards, in particular, and by the metrics of Nigerian politics in general. On July 17, 2024 the Borno senator was removed as the Senate Chief Whip at the behest of the National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress, APC, the ruling party, following his critical views on Tinubu’s economic policies, which have, according to Ndume, led to unprecedented hardship in the polity. Recall that the controversial senator had in an interview on Arise Television criticized the Tinubu administration handling of the state of the nation, high cost of living, including a hike in electricity tariff and rising prices of basic commodities.

The July 17 suspension of Ndume was the second in the political career of the beleaguered senator. In 2017, when he was Senate leader, he was suspended for three months by the Bukola Saraki- led Senate for his contrary views on Ibrahim Mangu, the then acting chairman of the Economics and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. His colleagues had declined to confirm Mangu as substantive chairman, a position Ndume criticized; arguing that there was no sufficient ground for not confirming him. Given the adversarial relationship between Saraki-led Senate and the Presidency, his comments were seen by his colleagues as too patronizing of the Presidency and a betrayal and disloyalty to the senate of which he was a ranking member.

It is much more true to the form and substance of his persona to say that Ndume has emerged the stormy petrel of the Fourth Republic parliamentary politics. Acquaintances and class mates from his early years as a student at Comprehensive Secondary School Mubi in the then Gongola State {now Adamawa] say fighting for a just cause is part of his DNA.

Mallam Ibrahim Abdullahi business man and Ndume’s secondary school class mate from 1973 to 1978 in Mubi, told Business Hallmark that the senator cannot be silenced. ‘’If you follow the political trajectory of Ndume since he came on board in 2003 as a member of the House of Representatives representing Chibok/Damboa/Gworza federal constituency, you will notice that he is independent-minded and a non conformist in the political sense. He only does what his conviction tells him to do no matter whose ox is gored.

“I remember very vividly how he was made a junior house captain by the school authorities on account of his fearlessness and frank views, and in the final year he was also appointed the school house captain. He reads a lot and very intelligent.’’

Another colleague, who is politically exposed and does not want to be named, told this medium that he was Ndume’s class mate at The Kaduna Polytechnic in 1982. ‘’While Ndume was in marketing department I was in public administration, but everyone knew our Ndume. This strain of speaking to power without fear did not start today; it has been with him for long. The truth is that if we truly want to forge ahead on the path of progress, we truly need an Ndume.

“Everybody cannot keep quiet; look at the state of the nation, is it the unprecedented hunger, insecurity, we need to support courageous people like Ndume, who speak from within the party.’’

Professor Adeagbo Moritiwon, a political scientist, said ‘’Ndume is the most unveiled politicians around, very honest to himself. He never pretends. I have the feelings he care much about his convictions. Remember he was the director general of the Rotimi Amaechi presidential campaign, and when Amaechi lost out in the primary, Ndume later supported Tinubu and went on to help Godswill Akpabio as the director general of his campaign.

“Of course, he knew Akpabio was Tinubu’s preferred candidate, so if he had had a personal grudge against Tinubu, he would not have supported his candidate. What I have observed about him is that he is principled to some extent compared to his silent colleagues in the legislature, who are complicit in the poor governance of the executive, when they are supposed to checkmate them in line with the principle of separation of power, which is anchored on checks and balances. ‘’

All politics is local

How does Ali Ndume stand in the politics of Borno?

Business Hallmark’s findings revealed that Ndume is deeply embedded in the politics of Borno, as a strong factor in the political equation in the state, and is widely regarded as the most dynamic and charismatic senator from the northeast geopolitical zone.

According to many reliable sources, Ndume is a grassroots politician, who commands a wide following in Borno South. He is said to have endeared himself to the youth of the district ever since his days as a lecturer at Ramat Polytechnic in the mid-80s, where he counseled and helped many students from the district to get admission to the polytechnic.

When in 2003 he contested for the House of Representatives seat, it was on the platform of All Nigerian Peoples’ Party, ANPP, under the firm control of Modu Sheriff in Borno State, and won by landslide. He was said to have helped significantly in mobilizing the people of Borno South for the party. Sources said Ndume was the biggest financier of the party in Borno South, and a trusted ally of Sheriff.

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When he defected from ANPP to PDP in 2010, he was said to have complained of injustice and lack of level playing field as the reason. Underlying his stature as a significant grassroots politician, the Peoples Democratic Party had delayed its primary anticipating Ndume’s defection. In the primary that was held he defeated his rivals to clinch the PDP House of Reps ticket, and eventually won the election to become senator representing Borno South in 2011.

His defection, according to sources, deflated Sheriff and affected the fortunes of ANPP in the state, especially, in the Borno South.

Yet there are some, who see him as high on ethnic sentiments, many cite his attempt to ethnicise the issue of the relocation to Lagos of certain government agencies, which had no business being in Abuja in the first place since their operation and activities are in Lagos.

Dr. Abdullahi Zamani , a sociologist criticized Ndume for ‘’his love of playing to the gallery, when he could have exploited official channel to air his views as a ranking senator.’’ Zamani told Business Hallmark that ‘’Ndume’s penchant for going public is an attempt to play populist, though one thing we cannot take from him is his boldness to speak truth to power. But his position sometimes has no basis in facts.’’

Ever since he entered public life, it has been from one controversy to the other. At one point, he was said to be a Boko Haram sympathizer and sponsor, a charge he vehemently denied. Last week, Ndume stated that he still stood by his statement, adding that what he had said was not enough ground for his suspension.

When questioned about calls for his resignation from the All Progressives Congress, Ndume stressed his foundational role in the party. ‘’I am a founding member of the APC. I was among the 22 Senators from the PDP, who formed the APC, when the current national chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje was a deputy governor in Kano State,’’ he said.

Ndume concluded by stressing that he would consult his constituents. He also revealed that he had declined the chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Tourism as earlier announced by the Senate President Akpabio, citing his lack of experience and exposure necessary to lead such sensitive group. He played an immense role in the emergence of Akpabio as Senate President; ironically it was the same man he helped that presided over his suspension!

Ndume’s case is a cautionary tale that the era of totalitarianism may not be afar in the current parliament if representatives of the people can no longer speak out. Some commentators like Professor Anthony Kila also warned of a climate of fear at the National Assembly, and the danger of a single narrative if members, who represent Nigerian people can no longer speak out.

“I never sought to be the Senate Whip after my tenure as the leader in the eighth Senate. I was given the opportunity to choose which committee to serve as vice chairman after successfully leading the campaigns that resulted in Godwill Akpabio’s before making any further decision regarding his future in the ruling APC.

Ndume was born in 1959 in Gworza , Borno South and was educated in Nigeria and overseas. Ndume has moved several Motions and sponsored several Bills in the Parliament, the Constituencies Development Fund Bill and Electoral Act Amendment Bill that enabled Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) voted in 2015 elections.

Political alignments and re-alignments saw him forming CPC with 20 of his colleagues which eventually coalesced into APC, the present ruling party. He was re-elected in the 2015 Senatorial elections and became the Leader of the Senate in the 8th Assembly until 2017, when he was replaced with Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan.

The Ndume affair has thrown more light on freedom of expression under Akpabio-led Senate, raising anxiety and fears over the independence of the legislature; and its ability to perform its constitutionally assigned role of acting as checks and balance to the executive. Moritiwon emphasized the need for Nigerians to insist on the Senate playing the role of responsible oversight on the activities of the executive, stressing the ‘’danger of subsuming this important role as representatives of the people to unnecessarily saying yes to the executives without thoroughness and rigour.’’

‘’As it stands now Ndume has identified with the wish and aspiration of his constituency by talking loudly about the stress and pain the high cost of living has imposed on his people. Who is speaking for you and me? Do we not have representatives in the Senate? The truth is that by keeping silent, our own representatives have lost their moral legitimacy to represent us, they have reneged on their mandate. Ndume is a symbol of what responsible representation is all about’’, Dr. Olufemi Omoyele of Osun State University told Business Hallmark.