The Federal Government has said it is not the plan of the President to subject Nigerians to hardship.
The claim was made by Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris while addressing members of the diplomatic community.
He said the President has come to office with bold solutions to historical problems.
He said the President is determined to correct many of the poor policies and dysfunctional choices that have held the nation back for decades.
“It is important to kick off on this note: that President Tinubu did not come to office to cause hardship or make life difficult for Nigerians.
“He has come to office with bold solutions to historical problems; with the determination to correct many of the poor policies and dysfunctional choices that have held us back as a nation for decades.
“The President assumed office during one of Nigeria’s most challenging periods in its history, where the country was spending 97% of all its revenue on debt service; coupled with widespread poverty, rising unemployment, dilapidated infrastructure, and insecurity.
“Faced with these daunting realities, the administration took decisive action and implemented long-overdue reforms to save the economy from collapse.
“For decades, the costly, wasteful and unsustainable fuel subsidy regime had denied Nigeria the opportunity to invest in critical infrastructure, social service, and the welfare of its citizens.
“The President, therefore, had to take a very painful decision to abolish the fuel subsidy and redirect the funds towards critical sectors such as healthcare, education, infrastructure, and security, which directly impact citizens’ well-being and the development of the country,” he said.
The minister added, “The President was not under any illusion that the withdrawal of fuel subsidy and the harmonization of foreign exchange rates would not come with some transitional pains.
“This informed the decision of the Federal Government to design comprehensive intervention programmes to cushion the transitional pains.
“We have been very determined about ensuring that these interventions are fully implemented, and bring the intended relief to Nigerians.”
Akwa Ibom State governor Umo Eno has promised 5,000 jobs to hardship and hunger protesters in the state.
This comes after he summoned leaders of the #EndBadGovernance protests to a breakfast meeting at the Government House in Uyo, the state capital.
He calmed their frayed nerves by offering them 5,000 jobs so that they could sheathe their swords.
The youths drawn from across the 31 local government areas also included the representatives of some other ethnic nationalities including the Arewa, Yoruba, Igbo, and other Niger Delta communities.
Amidst dinning and winning, the governor announced plans to hold an engagement forum in the next few weeks to specifically thank them for their peaceful conduct during the protest, as well as unveil plans to create over 5,000 jobs for the youths across party lines.
Besides, he announced plans to engage no fewer than 200 youths from each LGAs, 50 from each of the four non-indigene groups, and others where he will engage in meaningful ventures to improve their living conditions and solicited their continuous cooperation and support for his administration to be able to deliver the dividends of democracy in an atmosphere devoid of violence.
He said: “I am indeed very pleased and thankful to the Akwa Ibom youths. What you have done is to energize us more. The responsibility you have placed on our shoulders is huge and we will rise to it because that’s what you elected us to do.
“If there is leadership, there must be followership and by what you have done, you have exhibited followership and we are deeply grateful.”
Announcing implementation modalities, the governor assured that a committee to be steered by Team Leads across the 31 LGAs, who will each select 200 youths in their respective councils for the planned engagement would be set up.
Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prince Enobong Uwah, said government would undertake the responsibility of ensuring effective implementation of the youths’ empowerment initiative.
“I expect the Team Leads to lead a very transparent process. I also expect them to come up with a database of unemployed Akwa Ibom youths, so we may engage investors and others who desire to do business with our state and to inform them of the availability of trained manpower across professions and other ranks of artisans.
“We want to touch the lives of our youths, the great Akwa Ibom youths who have remained dedicated and supportive of our determined and avowed efforts to continuously work to improve their welfare.
“This process is to be carried out across party lines. The youths who listened to our plea not to join the protest are not just members of a particular political party but Akwa Ibom youths, and we appreciate them,” he explained.
Mr Bola Tinubu, the President of Nigeria, has begged Nigerians to be patient with his administration, assuring that the country is about to enter a new dawn.
Tinubu made this appeal on Wednesday, acknowledging the hardship Nigerians are going through as a result of fuel subsidy removal.
He also admitted that an avoidable lag between subsidy removal and his good and helpful plans compounded Nigerians’ pains.
“Fellow Nigerians, this period may be hard on us and there’s no doubt that it is tough on us but I urge you all to look beyond the present temporary pains and aim at the larger picture. All our good and helpful plans are in the works. More importantly, I know that they will work. Sadly, there was an avoidable lag between subsidy removal and these plans coming fully online,” he said.
The president assured that the measures his government has taken would get the country out of the lingering economic crisis, urging Nigerians to have faith in his administration.
“I plead with you, please, have faith in our ability to deliver and in our concern for your well-being. We will get out of this turbulence and due to the measures we have taken, Nigeria will be better equipped and able to take advantage of the future that awaits her.
“For example, we shall fulfill our promise to make education more affordable to all and provide loans to higher education students who may need them. No Nigerian students will have to abandon the higher education system because of lack of money.
“Our commitment is to promote the greatest good for the greatest number of our people. On principle, we shall never falter, I assure you, my fellow countrymen and women, that we are exiting the darkness to enter a new and glorious dawn. Now, I must get back to work to make this vision come true," he added
This marks the second time the President would address Nigerians amid the lingering tension in some parts of the country.
Media
A passionate plea from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu @officialABAT to all Nigerians.
— Presidency Nigeria (@NGRPresident) August 7, 2024
“Nigeria will enter a new dawn” pic.twitter.com/ECZOARk4B1
Wale Edun, minister of finance and coordinating minister of the economy, says Nigeria currently spends $600 million on petrol importation monthly.
Edun spoke on Tuesday during an interview on AIT’s Moneyline programme.
The minister, however, reiterated that there is no petrol subsidy in the 2024 budget.
“The fuel subsidy was removed May 29, 2023, by Mr President, and at that time, the poorest of 40 percent was only getting four percent of the value, and basically, they were not benefitting at all. So it was going to be just a few,” he said.
“Another point that I think is important is that nobody knows the consumption in Nigeria of petroleum. We know we spend $600 million every month on importation but the issue here is that all the neighbouring countries are benefitting.
“So we are buying not for just for Nigeria, we are buying for countries to the east, almost as far as Central Africa, north and west.
“And so we have to ask ourselves as Nigerians, how long do we want to do that for and that is the key issue regarding the issue of petroleum pricing.”
Edun said the nation must take a decisive step to tackle the problem as it impedes economic growth.
‘IMPORT DUTIES SUSPENSION WILL NOT UNDERMINE LOCAL FARMERS’
While speaking on the welfare of Nigerians, Edun said the current administration’s key priority is to ensure food availability and affordability, hence the recent suspension of tax and duties on the importation of food commodities.
He assured that the measure will not undermine local farmers, as importation will only be permitted after exhausting local supplies.
“There is a concerted effort to ensure that we have homegrown food available. In the short term, apart from what is being distributed from reserves, there is a window that has been opened for importation because the commitment of Mr. President is to drive down those prices now and make food available now,” he said.
“So, one of the conditions for this importation will be that everything available locally in the markets or with the millers and so forth has been taken up. We will have auditors that will check that.”
Edun said these interventions seek to reduce inflation, stabilise exchange rates, and lower interest rates, thereby creating a conducive environment for investment and job creation.
“With the kind of food production programme we have, inflation will come down as prices come down. When inflation comes down, exchange rate will stabilise. Interest rates will come down and the economy will have a chance,” he said.
“People will have a chance at reasonable rates to invest in various sectors of the economy, increase productivity, grow the economy and create jobs which is the key to reducing poverty.”
On the issue of the N570 billion recently released to state governments, Edun said it was a reimbursement under the COVID financing protocol.
“This actually refers to a reimbursement that they received from December last year onwards and it was a reimbursement I think under the COVID financing protocol,” he said.
“But the point is that the states have received more money. They have received more money. We have to do our research.”
‘WINDFALL TAX WILL REDISTRIBUTE UNEARNED INCOME’
Edun said the introduction of the 70 percent windfall tax in the banking industry will redistribute unearned income.
The minister said the windfall tax was not peculiar to Nigeria alone, adding that it is “done everywhere else in the world where you have, especially the energy sector as well as banking”.
“Where you have unearned income, where you have a section of the society or an industry or a set of companies that earn money through no dint of hard work of their own, the society deserves a chance to share some of that and it’s just a redistribution of that,” he said.
“So I think that takes care of the issue of the windfall levy.”
Speaking on the recent rise in the maximum borrowing percentage in the Ways and Means advances from 5 percent to 10 percent, Edun said the move does not imply that the federal government will rely on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) financing.
Edun described the approval by the national assembly as a “fail-safe” measure.
He said the government had rather used market instruments to manage its debts.
“We have not gone to the central bank to say, please lend the government money to pay its debt, to pay its salaries. That’s Ways and Means,” he said.
“We have not gone. In fact, we have used market instruments to pay down what we owed, and that is a very, very germane aspect of having a strong economy.
“Sometimes it just gives that extra flexibility so that if a payment needs to be made and there’s a mistiming, there’s a gap between the time at which the revenue will come in and the expenses needed, you can just draw down briefly.”
The minister said the aim is to act within the law.
Bashir Adeniyi, the comptroller general (CG) of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), says the duty waiver on imported foods would be implemented within the next one week.
Adeniyi spoke on Tuesday in Abuja during a news conference by the heads of security agencies and service chiefs, convened by Christopher Musa, the chief of defence staff (CDS) at the Defence Headquarters.
On July 10, the federal government announced the suspension of duties, tariffs, and taxes on the importation of food commodities to reduce inflation.
The CG said the duty waiver has not been implemented because the ministry of finance is still working out the guidelines.
“But I also like to remind Nigerians that we need to be very, very careful in implementation of this and this is why the guidelines for implementation is being meticulously worked out at the Ministry of Finance,” he said.
Adeniyi said there is a need to understand what the intervention means for the local markets as most of the food items that enjoy duty waivers and concessions are also cultivated by Nigerian farmers.
He said the federal government is trying to address the interests of all stakeholders.
“There is the issue of striking a balance between the long-term interest of Nigerian farmers and stakeholders who are involved in the production of these items and the short-term interest of addressing food inflation,” Adeniyi said.
“So the guidelines are being worked out at the Ministry of Finance and I can assure you that within the next one week these guidelines will be ready and Nigeria customs will begin implementation of these particular fiscal policies.”
‘FG MAKING EFFORTS TO MEET PROTESTERS DEMANDS’
Adeniyi said the demands of the protesters, especially those relating to food inflation and cost of living, are being addressed.
“I like to let Nigerians know that there has been a lot that is going on to address these issues that are related to ameliorating this situation.
“This is through a mixture of fiscal policies of government and a number of strategic interventions from the government.
“The federal government’s effort as part of intervention is the distribution of strategic food items which was released from the national grain reserves about a month ago.
“This was released to all states of the federation. We also recall that a number of the food items that are consumed in Nigeria are imported.
“Better parts of the components are imported and importations are not done of the shelf, it takes some time before they are done.
“So, one of the things that the president has done is to reduce the cost, to push on the effects of the cost inflation by suspending customs duties and taxes on imported food items for a period of time.”
Adeniyi said the implementation of the tax waiver will reduce the price of food items in the market.
The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa on Wednesday, hosted the ECOWAS Chief of Defence Staff Meeting at the Defence Headquarters Abuja.
The meeting was necessitated by insurgencies, coups, proliferation of arms, proxy wars amongst others which have threatened the peace and existence of African countries.
However, the ECOWAS commissioner for political affairs and security, Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Mussah, disclosed that the 42nd ordinary meeting of the ECOWAS committee of chief of defence staff was inevitably delayed due to the buildup of crisis in most African countries including coups that disrupted the democratic system of these countries.
“The 42nd ordinary meeting of The ECOWAS committee of chief of defence staff was inevitably delayed as a result of coups, security upheavals in the region and the announced withdrawal of the alliance of the Sehalian states from our community which requires special interventions,” the commissioner said.
The meeting is expected these critical issues by providing lasting solutions for the safety and wellbeing of Africans
During the first session of the meeting, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa implored security operatives to initiate ideas and strategies to be employed during the course of the meeting
“As we embark on today’s discussions,I encourage everyone to exchange ideas and strategies for the benefit of all” General Christopher said.
Minister of Finance and Coordinator of the Economy, Wale Edun, has said the actual quantity of petrol consumption in Nigeria is not known.
Wale Edun said the federal government did not make provision for fuel subsidy in the 2024 budget.
The Minister of Finance stated this while speaking on AIT Money Line with Nancy programme on Tuesday, monitored by our reporter.
Speaking on how the cost difference between the landing price and the selling price is covered, he said subsidy has gone technically.
He disclosed that some organizations are ensuring fuel availability at a lower cost than what the normal cost should have been for security reasons.
Edun said at the time the administration of President Bola Tinubu took over, fuel imported for Nigerians using subsidy was moved to other African countries. He explained that if Nigeria pays for fuel import at 40 percent, the country only gets 4 percent.
He said, “The fuel subsidy was removed on May 29, 2023 by Mr President. At that time, the poorest 40 percent, we were only getting 4 percent of the value. So basically we were not benefitting at all. It was going to just a few. Another important point to make is that nobody knows the consumption of petrol in Nigeria. We know we spend 600 million dollars every month on importation.
“The issue here is that all the neighbouring countries are benefitting. So we were buying not just for Nigeria, we were buying for the countries to the east, as far as Central Africa Republic, we are buying to the West and for the North. So we have to ask ourselves as Nigerians, how long do we want that to do that for, that is the key issue regarding this issue of petrol pricing.
“There is no fuel subsidy in the budget. That is the truth. That is the technical fact. There are organizations that have the responsibility to make sure for security reasons that there is fuel, but that doesn’t mean there is fuel subsidy in the budget. The real issue is how can we be subsidizing all our neighbours and expect the people of our own country to progress.”
When asked why government did not take action to stop fuel bought on subsidy from going to other African countries, the Minister of Finance said that would require closing the border.
“What it means is that we should block our borders. That is really it. We should block our borders,” Edun said.
The Dangote Refinery is reportedly set to divest a 12.7 per cent stake in 2024 to facilitate loan servicing.
This development was disclosed in a recent report published by Fitch Ratings, a credit rating agency.
Fitch noted that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) had previously intended to purchase a 20 per cent stake in the refinery.
Nevertheless, the agency pointed out that the national oil company’s choice not to pursue its option of acquiring an additional 12.75 per cent by June 2024 could adversely affect the group’s capacity to manage its loan obligations.
In 2021, the NNPC secured a 7.25 per cent stake in the refinery for $1.0 billion, with the option to acquire the remaining 12.75 per cent by June 2024. However, the national oil company has since withdrawn from this commitment.
“Since the option has not been exercised, the group plans to divest a 12.75 per cent stake in DORC in 2024.
“The group intends to service its significant syndicated loan maturing in August 2024 from the equity divestment. However, timely divestment and meeting the imminent maturity are highly uncertain in our view,” Fitch said.
Naija News recalls that in July, the President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, revealed that the NNPC holds only a 7.2 per cent stake in the refinery, contrary to the common belief among many Nigerians that it possesses a 20 per cent stake.
Dangote said: “The agreement was actually 20 per cent which we had with NNPC, and they did not pay the balance of the money up till last year; then we gave them another extension up till June (2024), and they said that they would remain where they have already paid, which is 7.2 per cent. So NNPC owns only 7.2 per cent, not 20 per cent.”
In a subsequent statement, the NNPC revealed that it has decided not to invest further in the refinery.
“NNPC Limited periodically assesses its investment portfolio to ensure alignment with the company’s strategic goals.
“The decision to cap its equity participation at the paid-up sum was made and communicated to Dangote Refinery several months ago,” the NNPC said in a statement by its spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye.
In the meantime, Nigeria’s former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, has advocated for an independent audit to investigate the reasons behind the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited’s decision to limit its investment in the Dangote Petroleum Refinery to 7.2 per cent, rather than the initial intended 20 per cent.
“Did the Nigerian government not tell us it borrowed $3.3bn from Afriexim-Bank to take a stake in the Dangote refinery?” Ezekwesili asked, calling on President Bola Tinubu to immediately launch an independent audit of the Dangote refinery-NNPC transaction to offer the public the true state of play.
[PRESS RELEASE] Organised Civil Society Condemns continued use of violence against Peaceful Protesters and Abduction of Protest Leaders by Security Agents
Admin![[PRESS RELEASE] Organised Civil Society Condemns continued use of violence against Peaceful Protesters and Abduction of Protest Leaders by Security Agents](/media/k2/items/cache/4a5a26a59541be233959d2e12d6fb20e_S.jpg)
....... Demands the immediate release of Micheal Lenin and others Protest Leaders currently being detained by Security agents
......Frowns at the use of Thugs to Attack Protesters in Lagos and Abuja
.......Decries the Use of Curfews by State Governors to frustrate Citizens' Nationwide Protests
The United Action Front of Civil Society again, wishes to observe that reports from our Protests field Monitors in Abuja, Lagos and other Cities of Nigeria from our monitors have it that both security agents and politically sponsored thugs have consistently disrupted and dispersed lawful assembly of peaceful protesters at the Moshood Abiola Stadium, the venue designated by the court for the anti Hunger protesters for no reason at all, inspite of insisting earlier that the Abuja protests must be confined to Moshood Abiola Stadium. This use of unwarranted force on civil protesters is high handed and oppressive to law abiding citizens.
Reports also have it that some leaders of the Protests in Abuja, who include Mr Micheal Lenin, among others are still being detained and tortured by the Security agents, who abducted them and at their residences in the dead of the night following their open criticism of President Bola Tinubu's Address to the Nation. For us, it's quite sad that Nigeria is beginning to operate a Police State under a democratic regime as in the dark days of General Sanni Abacha.
In order to avoid further umbrage of the citizens, we call on security agents to immediately release Lenin and others, who still being illegally detained by the State so as not to drive the popular and open protestations of the citizens underground and turn them into violent engagements of the state as history as proven that those who make peaceful protests impossible for Citizens, have always made violent ones inevitable.
Again, our observations of the protests in Lagos, especially in Alausa, Lekki and Ojota axis have shown connivance between security agents and sponsored hoodlums who randomly unleashed mayhem on peaceful Protesters with hard objects and tear gas cannisters, injuring several unarmed and defenceless protesters in the process.
Similarly, as Leaders of the Conscience of our country, we frown heavily at this resort to violence by the Police in most northern states as well as the use of Curfews to frustrate the civil rights of citizens to express their dissatisfaction to government policies in the country contrary to the assurances given to us by the Inspector General of Police, Dr Kayode Egbetokun during our consultative meeting with him last week.
Lastly, we find the growing show of force by security agents and the undemocratic use of state power by sub national authorities unacceptable and subversive of the democratic will of the citizens and therefore call on the President to immediately intervene by calling those involved to order, while initiating dialogue with protest leaders on their key demands as announced in his address to the Nation before the situation get out of hand.
Signed
Olawale Okunniyi
(Veteran Che)
Head, Coordinating Secretariat
United Action Front of Civil Society
The All Progressives Congress (APC) said it has accepted the apology of former Senate Chief Whip Ali Ndume, who was stripped of his position for speaking out against hardship in the country.
The Senate removed Ndume (Borno South) from the position on July 17 for criticising Tinubu’s administration and replaced him with Senator Tahir Monguno (Borno North), following a letter from APC national chairman, Dr
Abdullahi Ganduje, and the party’s national secretary, Bashir Ajibola, in that regard.
However, after addressing journalists at a meeting of the APC National Working Committee and the lawmakers, Ganduje said the party’s administrative organ is writing to the Senate about the outcome of the interface so that the Red Chamber can review its earlier position.
He said, “We are pretty satisfied with his apology. Like he said, we invited him, and you know the party is the father of everybody. As a party, we are free to ask legislators, members of the executive, and even all the appointed party members in the government.
So, that is why we decided to come. It is a family issue, and we need to resolve it.
“We are writing to the National Assembly to let you know what has happened between Senator Ndume and the party. You know, he apologised to the party, and we conveyed the same issue to the National Assembly, that we hope they can review their position.”
On his part, Ndume insisted that he did not insult the President or say anything against the party. He only left the party out when expressing his concerns and admitted his mistake of not talking to the party as a last point.
“Yesterday, I was invited to a party, and here I am to discuss family matters. The national chairman is not just a national chairman to me but a father. With what has happened, which you are all aware of, it is not surprising that I am invited to hear my side, and we had family discussions. I accepted the mistake of not talking to the party as a last point. I promised the party that all my observations as a senior family member should have terminated or ended with the party.
“I will move forward on that, but whatever I said or did was out of patriotism. Those issues may be said to be strong, but they are true. Then I should have talked to the party at the last bus stop.”The President and the
Senate have nothing to do with this; the President did not take offence, I didn’t insult the President, I didn’t say anything against the party, but I left the party out of reaching on issues, and so, please I think that is all I can say,” Ndume maintained.
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He emphasized that he remains the party leader in the state
Former Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has dismissed reports of his suspension from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Speaking through his media aide, Terver Akase, Ortom declared the suspension null and void, emphasizing that he remains the party leader in the state.
“Ortom has not been suspended. He is the leader of the party in the state, and any meeting that is called or going on without his consent is null and void,” Akase stated.
Ortom asserted that Benue PDP Chairman, John Ngbede, who announced his suspension, had himself been suspended for one month and therefore had no authority to convene such a meeting.
However, Ngbede, speaking to journalists at the party’s secretariat in Makurdi, confirmed Ortom’s suspension, accusing the former governor of attempting to hijack the party’s leadership and revert to old practices of malpractice.
Ngbede said, “It’s true that the former governor was suspended by the State Working Committee of the party because we will not allow anyone who thinks he can take the leadership of the party by force. The party belongs to the people, and we should allow people to feel the impact of the congress.”
Ngbede insisted that he remains the Benue PDP Chairman, noting that while his tenure technically expires on August 4, he awaits directives from the national secretariat. “It’s only the state executive committee of the party that can suspend me by virtue of my position as a member of the national executive,” he added.
Military commanders authorising shooting of protesters will be prosecuted for crimes against humanity – Atiku
AFOLABI
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has said the shooting of unarmed civilians by security operatives, especially soldiers, is a crime against humanity.
He said this in reaction to the shooting and summary execution of some protesters by security operatives during the ongoing #EndBadGovernance protest across the country.
Atiku told the military hierarchy that those sanctioning the use of excessive force against peaceful civilian protesters would not be shielded or exonerated by the passage of time.
He said those culpable of such abhorrent act would be held responsible for committing crimes against humanity even years after they might have left service.
He noted that the right of the citizens to protest is explicitly enshrined in the constitution and it’s the duty of the government to guarantee such rights.
In a statement on Tuesday, Atiku, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Candidate in the last election said, “I wish to convey a stern caution to the distinguished service chiefs and military commanders of Nigeria’s armed forces that those who authorise the use of lethal force against peaceful civilian protesters will be held responsible for committing crimes against humanity, even in the years following their retirement from service.
“The constitutional right to engage in protest is firmly established within our supreme law and reinforced by the judiciary. It is the solemn duty of the government and security agencies to ensure a safe and protected environment for individuals exercising their right to peaceful protest.”
![[PRESS RELEASE] Tinubu Appoints Former Katsina Gov. As TETFUND Chairman](/media/k2/items/cache/6d7b349b104d5662072cc042a6364284_XS.jpg)
President Bola Tinubu has appointed former Katsina State Governor Aminu Masari as the Chairman of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) board.
Presidential spokesperson Ajuri Ngelale announced the appointment in a statement.
The newly appointed board also includes Senator Sani Danladi, Sunday Adepoju, Nurudeen Adeyemi, Esther Ukachukwu, Turaki Ibrahim, and Aboh Eduyok.
President Tinubu emphasized the board's crucial role in enhancing the quality of tertiary education in Nigeria and urged members to fully commit to TETFund's mission.
Established in 2011, TETFund ensures equitable fund distribution across Nigeria's six geopolitical zones and monitors project execution to maintain educational standards.
Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume (Borno South) apologised to the All Progressives Congress (APC) for criticising President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration on rising hunger and food insecurity without consulting the party.
This comes as the party’s national chairman, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, announced that another letter would be transmitted to the party’s Senate Caucus, potentially paving the way for Ndume’s reinstatement as Chief Whip.
Recently, Ndume was stripped of his position as Chief Whip after the party’s leadership requested his removal due to his critical views on the APC-led government. Senator Tahir Monguno (Borno North) replaced him and also assumed Ndume’s previous role as Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations.
Since then, Ndume’s supporters have been protesting and calling on the Senate and the APC to reinstate him as the Chief Whip.
Addressing newsmen after a closed-door meeting at the party’s secretariat, Ndume said, “With what has happened, of which you are all aware, it is not surprising that I am invited to hear my own side. We had family discussions, and I accepted the mistake of not talking to the party as a last point.
“I promised the party that all my observations as a senior member of the family should have terminated or ended with the party. That is something that, moving forward, I would do, but whatever I said or whatever I did was out of patriotism, and those issues may be said strongly, but they are true. But then I should have talked to the party as the last bus stop.”
When asked if he would also apologise to the President and the Senate, Ndume said, “The President and the Senate have nothing to do with this. The president did not take offence. I didn’t insult the President; I didn’t say anything against the party, but I left the party out of reach on issues, and so, please, I think that is all I can say.”
On his part, Ganduje expressed satisfaction with Ndume’s apology.
“We are quite satisfied with his apology. The party is the father of everyone. We are free to invite legislators, members of the executive, and appointed party members in government. It is a family issue; we need to resolve it,” Ganduje stated.
Ganduje added that the party would convey Ndume’s apology to the National Assembly, hoping they would review their position on his removal.