Hon Usman Ibrahim in this interview with AHURAKA YUSUF ISAH, says the Borno people have asked Senator Mohammed Ndume not to withdraw from senate presidency race despite threats from the All Progressives Congress (APC) leadership.
Shortly after stakeholders and elders from Borno state expressed support for Senator Mohammed Ndume to emerge as the next President of the Senate on March 20, 2019, the All Progressives Congress (APC) adopted another person as the party’s sole candidate for the contest. What is your reaction to that?
We are not unaware that the ruling party would toe such line judging from its antecedents especially in recent time. You would recall that the ruling party paired Senator Ahmed Lawan and Hon Femi Gbajabiamila for the same positions in 2015 and ended in a fiasco. We knew it is not unlikely they would repeat the same thing, call it a mistake or not.
We carried out our homework and equally reserve some measures of plan on what to do should the party opt out that way. We are determined to carry on single handedly should the ruling party decide to back someone else other than Ndume.
Remember that Ndume was the APC Presidential Campaign Council Northeast Zonal Director in the just concluded elections. Of all the zonal directors, he was second to none in performance by delivering virtually states that make up the north east zone. I can assure that he would be backed by northeast zone in entirety.
But both the party’s national leader, Bola Tinubu and national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole have threatened to expel any senator that refuses to support Lawan’s candidature…
All politics are local. If you don’t have home support, somebody can jump in from any locality to deal with you. Party disciplinary measure begins from the ward level, then move to the Local Government Council to state before national level.
Shortly after Oshiomhole announced the adoption of Lawal, Ndume came to confer with us and we unequivocally told him not to withdraw from the race. We equally threatened to disown him as our child, God forbid, if he backs out.
You see, some people are ruinous than productive, they thrive in causing crisis than offering solution. They made mess of several governorship primaries culminating in the loss of several states through this ‘’gra-gra’’ directives or orders, yet they are still carrying on as if nothing is amiss in our party.
I can assure you that Ndume will contest and nothing shall happen to him. He will contest and win the election hands down.
We the stakeholders and elders of the Borno state that addressed a press conference two weeks ago under the platform of Concerned Borno citizens have since subjected Ndume to scrutiny and that was why we expressed confidence in the ability of Senator Ndume to provide quality leadership for the Senate and partner the executive to offer Nigerians good governance.
Read Also:
The group which is made up of former governors, former Ministers and other leaders of the APC in Borno state on that day argued that Ndume should be considered for the position considering the fact that Borno state gave the party over 90% of the votes from the state in all the just concluded elections.
There is no doubt that the 9th National Assembly has a critical role to play if Government is to actualize all its developmental projects, programmes and policies that will propel Nigeria into the industrialized world in the near future. Hence a cooperative partnership driven National Assembly that will support, encourage and work with the executive to accelerate the achievement of socio economic objectives of the Government cannot be overemphasized.
It is in this regard that we the Concerned Citizens of Borno came forward to urge Senator Ndume to contest for the office of the President of the Senate in the 9th National Assembly even when he was away on lesser Hajj in Saudi Arabia then.. We are convinced that Senator Ndume possesses all the qualities and requirements to hold the office of the Senate President being a loyal party man and a ranking Senator.
What will you say about the senate leadership seat he lost to Senator Lawan, and his subsequent suspension from the senate plenary?
Naturally, Ndume is a very disciplined and pleasant personality. But he doesn’t stoke any fear, neither does he just jump in to make trouble for no just cause. Everybody knows him for his frankness. He will never see white and say it is black. He is just frank and blunt to fault.
You see, if President Buhari have had the 3 to 5 likes of Ndume in the 8th senate, it would have been a different ball game. While many of his colleagues dreaded Saraki so much, he didn’t mind anything. Due to his unflinching support for President Buhari and unalloyed loyalty for his party, he opposed Saraki on some critical decision making on the floor of the senate.
That was when several of his colleagues were talking with their tongues in cheeks. They were so evasive, neither here nor there. Yet when they sneak into the villa in the nights they paint different personality of themselves. These are the same people the party is eulogizing or honouring with coveted positions in the National Assembly, just because they are pliable.
He was stripped of the senate leader position because he opposed senate rejection of Ibrahim Magu’s confirmation as the EFCC chairman.
Senate suspended Ndume for six months in March 2017 for raising a motion on the floor of the senate demanding investigation of media reports that Saraki imported a bullet proof range rover with fake documents; while Senator Dino Melaye (Kogi west) forged Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria first degree certificate.
The senate insisted that he ought to have investigated the veracity of the media reports, to establish prema facie evidence before daring to raise such motion on the floor of the senate. This was ostensibly done in support of President Buhari’s anti-corruption drive.
