Ndume: National Assembly Now Enabling Executive’s Recklessness – Atiku

• Atiku Abubakar criticized the removal of Senator Ali Ndume as Senate Chief Whip, suggesting it reflects the National Assembly facilitating the reckless actions of President Tinubu’s administration
• Atiku expressed concern that the National Assembly has become an “enabler of executive recklessness”, prioritizing the president’s concerns over the needs of the Nigerian people

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has criticized the recent removal of Senator Ali Ndume as the Senate’s Chief Whip, suggesting it reflects a troubling trend of the National Assembly facilitating the reckless actions of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration. Ndume, who represents Borno South, was removed from his leadership position and vice chairman of the Senate’s appropriation committee following a complaint from the All Progressives Congress (APC) regarding his comments on the country’s food crisis.

Last week, Ndume claimed in an interview that President Tinubu was unaware of the issues outside the presidential villa, implying that the president was isolated.

Atiku responded to Ndume’s sanction on his official Twitter (now X) account, stating that this action, along with the earlier punishment of Senator Abdul Ningi for similar criticisms, indicates that “the concerns of the people stand in the nadir of the priority list of the legislature.”

Despite public disapproval, Atiku also referenced the Senate’s approval of new presidential fleet expenditures, calling for a collective effort to urge the National Assembly to fulfil its mandate responsibly.

“This emerging reality must stop. The health of our democracy is being compromised by this unholy alliance between the executive and the legislature and portends a dictatorship that will worsen the lot of the people,” he said.

He explained that the legislative arm of government was originally conceived to protect the people from executive overreach, ensuring a participatory approach to governance that derives its legitimacy from the people. However, Atiku lamented that the current administration is undermining this principle.

“Regrettably, however, the democracy in Nigeria in the current administration of President Bola Tinubu has become an anathema to that general principle of democracy as providing primary protection for the people against executive excesses,” he added.

Atiku expressed concern over the National Assembly’s apparent shift from its core function, becoming what he described as a “puppet in the hands of the President.”

He cited Senator Abdul Ningi’s suspension for highlighting budget padding in the 2024 Appropriation Bill as an example of the Senate’s failure to address crucial issues. Atiku pointed out that Ndume’s removal followed his call for the president to address the country’s severe hunger and poverty.

Despite calls for the government to prioritize addressing the country’s hardships and to suspend the purchase of new aircraft for the presidential fleet, the Senate approved these controversial expenditures, further distancing itself from the concerns of the average Nigerian.

“We are, therefore, beginning to see a pattern in which the National Assembly has become an enabler of executive recklessness, and the concerns of the people stand in the nadir of the priority list of the legislature,” Atiku concluded.