The crime of Senator Ndume was his bold expression of his concerns of the sufferings of Nigerians – LP reacts to removal of Ndume as Chief Whip
The leadership of the Labour Party (LP) has reacted to the removal of Senator Ali Ndume as the Chief Whip of the Senate.
On Tuesday, July 17, Senate President Godswill Akpabio read a letter from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) leadership calling for Ndume’s removal asthe chief whip in the 10th Senate. The party also urged Ndume, a vocal critic of President Bola Tinubu, to resign and join any opposition party of his choice.
Reacting to Ndume’s removal, the Labour Party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, stated that the decision indicates that speaking truth to power has become a crime in Nigeria. He argued that the Senate’s treatment of Ndume reflects a dictatorial tendency.
”The crime of Senator Ndume was his bold expression of his concerns regarding the escalating cost of living and food scarcity in Nigeria, and his revelation that President Bola Tinubu has chosen to play the ostrich even in the face of acute starvation being witnessed in Nigeria, he said
”The dimension this administration is taken is grave. Few months ago, Senator Abdul Ningi exposed the rot in the government where the Senate leadership and the executive collaborators allegedly padded the budget. That got him suspended and intimidated out of his lawful representative role as a senator.
”It is needless talking about the economic crisis on going in Nigeria even where a few cabal are massively enriching themselves. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) recently said that food inflation has risen to 40.66 percent.
”Even with all these glaring and scaring challenges, the government is said to have paid about N150bn for a presidential jet, building roads that have no direct bearing with the economic crises in Nigeria
“This is clear a tyranny of a cabal against the legislative autonomy. Nigeria is gradually descending into dictatorship and we are calling on the citizens to be on an alert and put up a defence against the starvation weapon being deployed by this administration.” he added
