By Jude Opara, Abuja
The senator representing Borno South in the National Assembly, Ali Ndume yesterday said he will not decamp from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Ndume who was recently relieved of his position as the Senate Chief Whip for allegedly criticizing the government of President Bola Tinubu made the vow when he paid a visit to the National Chairman of the APC, Dr. Abdulahi Ganduje.
He also insisted that despite the barrage of attacks that he experienced, he will not leave the party because he cannot leave his family because of a mere misunderstanding.
Yesterday I was invited by the party and here I am to discuss family matters, actually the national chairman is not just a national chairman to me but father. With what has happened which you are all aware.
“It is not surprising that I am invited to hear my own side and we had family discussions and I actually accepted the mistake of not talking to the party as a last point and I promised the party that all my observations as a senior member of the family should have terminated or ended with the party.
“Moving forward whatever I said or whatever I did was out of patriotism and those issues maybe said strong but they are true but then I should have talked to the party as the last bus stop.
“About my membership, I have not been expelled, even the party did not say we don’t want you here, because he is my father, the party is my father, the only thing the party said is that look if you don’t want this house you can go to any house. Where will I go? This is my house.
“The President and the Senate has 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”.
In his response, the APC Chairman, Dr. Abdulahi Ganduje said the party was well satisfied with the remarks made by Ndume, adding that he was only invited to hear his own side.
Ganduje added that Ndume had apologized for his actions and that the party as the father of every member will convey same to the National Assembly.
“We are quite 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 invite legislators, we are free to invite members of the executive, and we are even free to invite all the appointed party members in the government, so, that is why we decided to come, so, it is a family issues we need to resolve it and we are writing to the National Assembly conveying what has transpired between senator Ndume and the party and you know he apologized to the party and we convey the same issue to the National Assembly, do that we hope they can review their position”.
It could be recalled that the APC in an apparent anger over Ndume’s criticism of the government wrote the Senate to relieve him of his position as the Senate Chief Whip.
