Ndume To Akpabio – Keep Your Committee’s Chair, ‘I’m Not A Tourist’

The sacked Senate Chief Whip, Mohammed Ali Ndume, says he is not a tourist and has no business accepting to chair the Committee on Tourism offered to him by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.

In rejecting the chairmanship position seen as a move to calm frayed nerves following recent development within the Red Chamber, Senator Ndume also maintained that only his constituents, who elected him, can direct him to quit the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for another party.

This is as he commended President Bola Tinubu on approving the N70,000 new minimum wage but acknowledged that the amount still small when compared to the cost of buying one 50kg bag of rice in the country.

In a chat with journalists at his residence in Maiduguri, Borno State capital on Friday, the outspoken lawmaker expressed no regrets over the controversial comments that led to his removal as a principal officer of the Nigerian Senate.

Standing by his critical comments on governance, Senator Ndume, who  was home to attend the third day prayers of his late sister-in-law, said; “As for the Chairman Senate Committee on Tourism offered to me, I want to say that I am not a tourist and not good in tourism.

“As it is, I have spent over 10 years without going to any foreign countries. I have never been to the United Kingdom (UK). Even the United States of America which I went was when I was schooling there.

On his sack as the Chief Whip, Ndume said; “I had wanted to react. But I was mourning. I now deem it fit to do so. I am a democrat and a realist, and someone who always says the truth no matter whose ox is gored.

“According to former US President, Mr. Theodore Roosevelt, and I quote ‘Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the President or any other public official, save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the country.

“It is patriotic to support him insofar as he efficiently serves the country. It is unpatriotic not to oppose him to the exact extent that by inefficiency or otherwise, he fails in his duty to stand by the country. In either event, it is unpatriotic not to tell the truth, whether about the president or anyone else”

‘I stand by my words’
Maintaining that he has no regrets over the public comments on current happenings in the country, the Borno South Senator said; “I have not regretted what I said during my interview with Arise TV. I thank all Nigerians who took to their social media platforms and groups who issued a press statement aligning with my statement regarding excruciating hunger and insecurity under President Bola Tinubu.

“Secondly, the NWC of our great party, APC recommended to the Senate that I should be removed, which they did, I took that as an act of God. Because it is God that gave me that mandate as Chief Whip.

“So I bear no grudges about what transpired. After all, I did not contest to be the Chief Whip or to be the Vice Chairman of the Appropriation Committee. Rather, I contested to be a senator representing southern Borno and the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“So it is not that am desperate. I am over 64 years old now, and I thank God.

New Minimum Wage Good But…
“I am happy; yesterday the President approved the minimum wage to N70,000 only.

“It is a good move. But the minimum wage is still minimal compared to a 50kg bag of rice which costs over N70,000.”

On APC’s Nudging To Join Opposition
“On the advice(s) that I am free to join the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), or any political party of my choice, I want to reiterate that, I am one of the founding members of the APC.

“It is my people, my constituency and teaming supporters, that will decide for me whether to stay in APC, join another party or quit politics. Whatever their advice, is what I will work with.

Court Case, Count Me Out!
“On whether I will take the matter to court, I want to say that, I will not go to court. I surrendered my case to Almighty Allah (God)”.

Urging his teeming supporters and Nigerians to remain calm and law-abiding always as things continue to unfold, the APC lawmaker said they should not stop praying to God for His mercy on the masses, and to generally restore peace in the land.

Forefront News recalled that the APC’s National Working Committee (NWC)  had successfully plotted the removal of Senator Ndume as Senate Chief Whip over his comments on the current hardship in the country and criticisms of the President Tinubu-led administration.