The Labour Party has voiced strong condemnation of the removal of Senator Ali Ndume from his position as Chief Whip of the Senate, a move executed on Wednesday.
Ndume, who was replaced by Senator Tahir Monguno of Borno North, was removed following a directive from the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Umar Ganduje, and the National Secretary, Senator Bashir Ajibola.
The decision was ratified by a voice vote led by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, which received unanimous support from all APC senators.
In a statement issued in Abuja, Labour Party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, expressed grave concerns about the current political climate in Nigeria.
Ifoh described Ndume’s removal as part of a troubling trend where speaking truth to power is increasingly being criminalized.
Ifoh stated, “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.”
Ifoh further criticized the broader implications of this action, citing a pattern of suppression and intimidation against those who speak out against the government’s shortcomings.
He pointed to the suspension and intimidation of Senator Abdul Ningi, who exposed alleged budget padding by the Senate leadership and executive collaborators, as another example of this alarming trend.
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Ifoh added, “It is needless talking about the economic crisis ongoing in Nigeria even where a few cabal members are massively enriching themselves. The National Bureau of Statistics recently said that food inflation has risen to 40.66 per cent.
“Even with all these glaring challenges, the government is said to have paid about N150b for a presidential jet and building roads that have no direct bearing on the economic crises in Nigeria.
He also expressed concern over the growing climate of fear among media practitioners, who he said are increasingly reluctant to report the facts due to the threat of emasculation and incarceration.
“This is a tyranny of a cabal against a legislative autonomy. Nigeria is gradually descending into dictatorship and we are calling on the citizens to be on alert and put up a defence against the starvation weapon being deployed by this administration.”
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