Senate sacks Ndume as Chief Whip, replaces him with Monguno

0
357
Ndume’s 2027 bid gets early firepower: Southern Borno youths raise N38.5m war chest In a show of muscle more than a year before 2027, thousands of Southern Borno youths on Saturday raised N38.5 million to bankroll Senator Muhammadu Ali Ndume’s bid for a fifth term, framing the move as a defence of “fearless representation” in the Senate. Over 2,000 contributors from all nine LGAs of Southern Borno packed Forshams Hall, Maiduguri, in what organisers called a deliberate political statement: keep Ndume in the chamber because, in their words, Nigeria needs voices that “speak truth to power.” “This is not just about funding forms; it is about safeguarding representation that prioritises the people and holds the executive accountable,” said youth coordinator Alhaji Babandi Shehu, who led the drive. Chants and pledges of loyalty rolled through the hall as trade unions, transport groups, and community associations lined up behind the Borno South senator. The message was blunt: Ndume’s record on legislation and insurgency-era reconstruction has earned him early, organized backing. A breakdown of the N38.5m haul shows depth across the district: Biu, Kwaya-Kusar, Hawul, Bayo, and Shani delivered N8m; Askira-Uba N5m; Damboa N2m. The Nigeria Union of Road Transport Workers and Baga Road Timber Sellers Association each put down N1m. Ndume’s Senior Legislative Aide, Junaid Jibril Maiva, used the moment to reel off a legacy list: 70+ bills, the Nigerian Army University Biu, the North East Development Commission, Federal College of Education Gwoza, plus pending Federal Medical Centre Kwaya-Kusar and Federal College of Agriculture Shani. He added 200 houses built in Gwoza and 80 in Damboa for displaced families — brick-and-mortar arguments in a region rebuilding from Boko Haram. Since entering the Senate in 2011, Ndume has built a brand on confrontation. He’s pushed for tougher security funding, clashed with party leaders, and drawn fire for a style critics call combative. Supporters call it courage. Saturday’s crowd chose the second definition. In a zone that bore the brunt of insurgency, Ndume’s demand for federal intervention on security and resettlement has made him a fixture — and a lightning rod. Political analysts read the fundraiser as more than cash. It’s early positioning inside the APC, a public flex of Ndume’s grassroots machine, and a warning to rivals that Southern Borno is locking in. With 2027 still distant, the N38.5m war chest buys more than nomination forms. It buys momentum, headlines, and a narrative: continuity. For Ndume’s base, the calculation is simple. “Continuity, experience, and assertive representation are non-negotiable,” one participant said as the hall emptied. The 2027 race hasn’t opened. Southern Borno just fired the first shot.
Ndume

 

Less than a week after Senator Ali Ndume bashed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Senate has removed him as the Chief Whip and replaced him with Senator Tahir Monguno.

Ndume had accused Tinubu presidency of running a solo government despite hunger across the land.

Ndume’s replacement by the Senate followed a directive issued to that effect in a letter written by the National Chairman of the party, Umar Ganduje and National Secretary, Senator Bashir Ajibola.

Advertisement

The request was put to voice votes by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and loudly affirmed by all the APC senators.

Recall that Ndume had alleged in an interview with journalists at the National Assembly complex in Abuja last Wednesday that Tinubu had been fenced off and caged by certain forces.

He had expressed concerns over the lack of appreciable action by Tinubu in tackling poverty, insecurity, hunger, and other pressing issues.

Read him: “Mr President is not in the picture of what is happening outside the Villa. He has been fenced off and caged. Many of us won’t go through the backdoor to engage him.

“Now, they have stopped him from talking, and he doesn’t have public affairs managers, except for his spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, who writes press statements. Nigerians are getting very angry.

“The government is not doing anything about food scarcity, and it needs to act urgently. We don’t have food reserves. A food crisis is the worst crisis any nation can encounter. If we add that to the security crisis, it will be severe.

“The President should wake up. It seems he isn’t in the picture of what is happening because he has been caged off by plutocrats. He should open his doors and meet those who will tell him the truth.

“Unfortunately, the people who will tell him the truth won’t struggle to meet him. I am very worried, not only for the President himself but for myself.”

Stay ahead with the latest updates! Join The ConclaveNG on WhatsApp and Telegram for real-time news alerts, breaking stories, and exclusive content delivered straight to your phone. Don’t miss a headline — subscribe now!

Join Our WhatsApp Channel Join Our Telegram Channel

Leave a ReplyCancel reply