Senator Ndume, who represents Borno South Senatorial district in the National Assembly, in an interview with Channels Television on Tuesday, said that “political cartels” were misguiding Tinubu to make the wrong decisions.
Doyin Okupe, a former Director-General Labour Party (LP) presidential campaign council, has lambasted Senator Ali Ndume over his comments against the relocation of some departments of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) corporate office from Abuja to Lagos.
Senator Ndume, who represents Borno South Senatorial district in the National Assembly, in an interview with Channels Television on Tuesday, said that “political cartels” were misguiding Tinubu to make the wrong decisions.
Ndume was reacting to the recent announcement by the CBN and FAAN that they would relocate some of their departments and headquarters from Abuja to Lagos respectively.
Ndume had said, “All these Lagos boys who are thinking that Lagos is Nigeria are just misinforming and advising the president wrongly.
“The regulators of the financial institutions are supposed to be or are in Abuja.
“Do you now say that because the majority of our oil is extracted from south-south, you take NNPC (Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited) to south-south? It does not work that way.
“Those political cartels that are in the corridors of power are trying to misinform the president and we will tell the president. The president will take action.
“They are not doing any favour to my president because this will have political consequences.”
Reacting to Ndume’s statement, Okukpe in an open letter to the lawmaker said, “Your recent pronouncement on the above subject matter is provocative and unexpected of a politician of your pedigree and position in the Nigerian polity.
“You have been in politics for more than two decades, you are one of the highest ranking senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, you once contested and deservedly, the revered and exalted position of the Senate President.
“Even if you disagreed and you are aware of the consensus of many northern politicians being against this move, it is reasonable to expect that you will treat this situation with much equanimity and maturity.
“Your threat against President Tinubu of political consequences because of this action of the federal government is unwarranted and demeaning of your status.
“Ours is a fragile democracy and from the first Republic to date, leaders of this nation have managed our national stability and unity with great circumspection and forbearance.
“Our polity has not always been based on political correctness but rather, often time, on political expediency and prevailing power locus.
“For instance, why should major military installations and institutions be domiciled in the North? Or the Nigerian Port Authority and the Nigerian Customs be located in Abuja?
“These being institutions that must be of necessity close to where the harbor is, but my dear Senator this is how we are as a people.
“For your Information sir, we are yet to evolve a true nation state so we may need to continue to wobble and fumble administratively and politically until we can reach the much desired national elitist consensus, which is a sine qua non for the building of a true united and virile nation.
“You will recollect sir that Obasanjo’s Presidency came as a concession to the southwest following Late Chief Abiola’s death, While Goodluck Jonathan’s succession of the late President Yar’Adua was predicted on the so-called Doctrine of Necessity and the victory of Buhari in 2015 was as a result of unusual patriotism and willful surrender of power by the then President Goodluck Jonathan.
“A word is enough for the wise and you Distinguish Senator Ali Ndume I Dear say, is a wise man. I wish you well.”