The ousted senate chief whip, Mr Ali Ndume, has said that he would dump the All Progressives Congress (APC) for another political party should his constituent approve of it.
Recall that the senate had on Wednesday stripped Ndume of the position of a chief whip for criticizing President Bola Tinubu.
Addressing the media in Maiduguri, Borno State on Friday, the lawmaker described himself as one of “founding members of the APC” stressing that his decision to stay in the party would be subject to ratification by his constituents.
“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,” he said.
On his removal from office as a principal officer, Ndume said he had taken it in good faith.
“I had wanted to react. But I was mourning. I now deem it feet to do so.
“I am a democrat and a realist, and someone who always says the truth no matter whose ox is gored.
“The national working committee 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,” he added.
Furthermore, he said he had no regret for criticising the president adding that it is unpatriotic not to raise the alarm whenever the president goes wrong.
Quoting former US President, Mr. Theodore Roosevelt, Ndume said: “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’.
Continuing, Ndume 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.
The Borno senator also used the opportunity to turn down his appointment as the chairman, senate committee on tourism, saying “I am not a tourist.”
“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 country. I have never been to the United Kingdom, UK. Even the United States of America which I went was when I was schooling there,” he added.
