The Labour Party (LP) leadership has condemned the Senate’s removal of Senator Ali Ndume as Chief Whip, following a directive from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) leadership on Tuesday, July 17.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio read the APC’s letter demanding Ndume’s removal as a principal officer in the 10th Senate, alongside a call for him to resign and join an opposition party, citing his outspoken criticisms of President Bola Tinubu.
In response to Ndume’s ousting, Labour Party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, criticized the decision as a suppression of dissent, stating it represents a dangerous tilt towards dictatorship in Nigeria. He highlighted Ndume’s vocal concerns about rising living costs and food scarcity, as well as allegations of government corruption and misplaced spending priorities, including the reported N150bn expenditure on a presidential jet amidst economic crises.
Ifoh questioned the democratic legitimacy of a ruling party dictating leadership decisions within an independent legislative branch, warning that Nigeria is sliding towards dictatorship. He called on citizens to remain vigilant against what he described as a regime deploying starvation tactics against its own people.
Ifoh said: “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.
“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.”
