Borno South Senator, Ali Ndume, has recounted how former President Muhammadu Buhari and President Bola Tinubu ordered him to join the All Progressives Congress (APC) some years ago.
Mr Ndume, a member of the APC, disclosed this in a viral video posted by Channels Television on Friday.
He was removed as Senate Chief Whip on Wednesday following a letter from Abdullahi Ganduje, the APC National Chairman and Basiru Ajibola, the party’s National Secretary.
In the letter, the APC leaders referenced an interview Mr Ndume granted in which he criticised the Bola Tinubu administration and subsequently recommended that the Senate should relieve him of his position.
The APC leaders also advised Mr Ndume to quit the party and join the opposition.
Responding to the advice, Mr Ndume said he is a founding member of the ruling party and had been a member before Mr Ganduje joined.
He explained that he and 21 other senators allied to establish the APC.
The senator, a member of the then-ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said Messrs Buhari and Tinubu ordered him to sign a document inside the Imo State Lodge that he would be a member of the APC.
“I am a founding member of APC. In fact, I can say I was in APC before the National Chairman because I am a member of the PDP that formed the APC, and I did not do just like that; it is in consultation with my people that I joined APC.
“We were the 22 senators that joined to form the APC. We were called nPDP then and if you check history and look at the list of the senators, my name is number 21 out of 22. That was because I initially did not want to join APC because of some people that are in the coalition, but I was ordered by Buhari and current President Tinubu to sign to join the APC in the Imo government lodge.
“And it was Rochas Okorocha who was hosting us that was sent to summon me to Imo government lodge where Buhari came with the list and asked me to sign. Tinubu was sitting there; I was sitting there; only the three of us were called aside to sign,” he explained.
Mr Ndume, however, said he would consult with his people about quitting the party before taking the final decision.
“So I am not a new member. I did not join the APC just like that; it was in consultations with my people that I joined APC. I take his advice and I will get across to my people. I am here in Maiduguri as you know, because I am bereaved, and I did not issue an immediate statement because I did not want to show or overreact to what has happened,” he said.
I was begged to accept chief whip position
In the video, Mr Ndume also said some people begged him to accept the position of the Senate Chief Whip because he successfully led the campaign that brought Godswill Akpabio as the Senate President.
He added that he was also allowed to choose whichever committee he preferred to be Vice Chairman of, and he chose the appropriation committee.
“Still, the appropriation committee was given to me not because I was desperate about it; no, it was because I was begged to accept the position of Chief Whip, knowing fully that I led the campaign for the emergence of Akpabio as the Senate President and I was begged to choose whichever committee I want to be the Vice Chairman and I choose appropriation in order to stand for my people and make sure that there is justice in whatever they do. It is not like I am desperate that I have been removed,” he explained.
Mr Ndume, who was once the minority leader of the House of Representatives as a member of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party(ANPP), also noted that he accepted the decision of the Senate in good faith.
“The party that recommended to the Senate that I should be removed from being the chief whip of the Senate, I take that as an act of God because it is God that gave me that position. It is God that took it through APC, so I bear no grudges about that.
“After all, I did not contest to be the Chief Whip. I did not contest to be the Vice Chairman of the appropriations committee. I contested to be one of the senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Alhamdulillah, God granted me that victory and I am happy to get what God has given to me,” he said.
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