The All Progressives Congress (APC) National Working Committee (NWC), led by Abdullahi Ganduje, convened a meeting with Senator Ali Ndume on Tuesday to address his recent criticisms of President Bola Tinubu, which resulted in his removal as Senate Whip.
After the meeting, Ganduje announced that the party was satisfied with Ndume’s apology. The NWC plans to communicate this development to the Senate leadership, seeking a potential review of Ndume’s dismissal.
Ndume had been removed from his position as Chief Whip following a complaint from the APC NWC to the Senate, led by President Godswill Akpabio, regarding his remarks against Tinubu.
Ganduje emphasized that the party views the issue as a family matter and expressed a desire to resolve it amicably. He stated, “We are content with the apology given by Senator Ndume. The party is like a family, and we have the right to address any issues within it. We will be informing the National Assembly of the outcome of our discussion with Ndume, hoping they will reconsider their decision.”
In his response, Ndume acknowledged that he should have addressed his grievances within the party rather than airing them publicly. “I was invited by the party to discuss these matters, and I recognize that I should have raised my concerns directly with the party leadership,” Ndume said. “I regret not handling this internally. Moving forward, I will ensure that any issues I have are discussed within the party.”
Ndume also clarified that his comments were motivated by patriotism, though he admitted he should have used internal channels. He reassured that his party membership remains intact and that there was no personal offense taken by President Tinubu. “The President has not taken any offense, and I did not intend to insult anyone. My goal was to address issues constructively within the party,” Ndume added.