Ali Ndume and the Rest of Us

Anthony Kila writes about Wednesday’s removal of Senator Ali Ndume as Chief Whip of The Nigerian Senate wondering if the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Dr Umar Gandoje, was right to seek the sack of the ranking Senator

Dear Dr. Umar Ganduje, 

The impetus for today’s reflections comes from the recent metamorphosis of  a man who, within 24 hours, went from being a principal officer of the Senate and Vice-Chairman of the Appropriation Committee to becoming  the sacked senate whip of your party (the APC, Nigeria’s ruling party). 

I, of course, refer to  Ali Ndume, the Senator representing Borno South District. 

You are the party chairman of the APC, and that is enough legitimate and logical reason  for  this  epistle to be directed at you.  

Beyond  that,  the  fact  that  you (according to media reports) directed the sacking of Senator Ndume makes it mandatory and essential to write to you directly for the purpose of our reflections. 

For the very few readers of this page who might have missed the event, here is a recap: Media reports informed us on Wednesday, July 17th, 2024, that the Senate has   removed Senator Ndume as the Chief Whip   and replaced him with Senator Tahir Monguno. Ndume’s replacement by the Senate followed a directive issued in a letter written by the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Umar Ganduje. 

We were   also   informed   that   the   request   was   put   to   voice   votes   by   the   Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and loudly affirmed by all the APC Senators.

For some reasons, the first thing that came to my mind when I read that report of the  sacking and  demotion  was  the  day  Senator Ndume had the “utmost honour and privilege” of presenting the then-aspiring Senator Godswill Akpabio as the Senate President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It is a case of the man who publicly elevated the man who will one day publicly chair and announce his demotion. At least we know Ndume cannot be charged with having strong premonitions or extraordinary foresight. 

A lesson here for the rest of us is that clearly, this trade called politics is not for the faint-hearted. The reasons for Senator Ndume’s sacking and demotion are clearly stated in the letter written to the Senate, and the process that led to his ousting shows that a majority of Senators agree with the decision to axe Ndume as proposed by you, Chairman Ganduje. 

Senator Ndume, they say, forgot   his   role as  a leading member of the government and went rogue, behaving like an anti-government activist. A very senior APC Senator and party leader I quizzed about the event sent me a text message saying, “What do you expect us to do? The man brought it upon himself.” 

He could have approached the government and party to express his concerns about policies and nomination and found ways to improve things rather than play to the gallery, they go on to expatiate to those who listen. How can one, in knowledge or conscience, fault such an argument? We don’t know if Ndume approached or tried to approach the   government and party to express his concerns about policies and nominations; we have no proof that he did or did not. We can only speculate. 

By the same token, we do not know if you, Mr Chairman, approached or tried to approach Senator Ndume to express your concern and displeasure about how he was conducting himself. We have no proof that you did or did not. We can only speculate. The onus is on you to provide proof of your endeavours, Mr Chairman. That is primarily between you and Senator Ndume you are close people. However, some issues concern the rest of us and the Senator Ndume affair forces us to call your attention to such matters. 

One is the issue of consultation in the party you chair. Can you, Dr Ganduje, in knowledge and conscience, confirm that you have enough mechanism in the party that allows for consultation on policies and nominations so that what the government does is genuinely reflective of the will of the people who elected and worked for the election of the government? The onus is on you to provide proof of your endeavours, Mr Chairman. I am sure that I do not need to emphasise the importance of such consultations to a man of your experience; suffice to say such consultations are, in   principle, a crucial element of democracy   and a truly democratic party, and to remind you that, in practice, such consultations would have saved government and party some policy summersaults and nomination withdrawals. 

Another issue is the role of the legislative arm of government in a presidential system. 

I disagree with those who interpret the principle of separation of power and checks and balances as a reason for constant confrontation between the executive and legislative branches of government. 

And I certainly can’t agree with those who think it is ok for the legislative arm to rubber-stamp the executive’s positions. You, Dr Ganduje, as party Chairman, need to contribute to setting a clear template and framework that guides and aids legislators so that they can safely and constructively dissent and proactively bring their input to the fore in the governance process. 

Moving on, the rest of us will be waiting to see Senator Ndume’s next step. He has  already voiced his concerns and displeasure. 

What next? Will he substantially exit the party or remain silent and let things be? Those who know Ndume tell me the latter option is less likely. Moving on, the rest of us will watch how APC leaders and other stakeholders react in the future when they disagree with   policies, nominations and other government activities. Will they voice their concern, exit the party or remain loyal even in cases of actual or perceived cognitive dissonance? The fate of Senator Ndume has set a precedent on how not to dissent from leadership in the APC; you, Mr Chairman, need to tell the rest of us how to express dissent and bring to the fore contributions that can warn the government and improve the country. 

Please join us if you can on Twitter, @anthonykila, to continue these crucial conversations. 

• Kila is an Institute Director at CIAPS Lagos. www.ciaps.org.