Strong indication emerged on Tuesday in Abuja that the immediate past Whip of the Senate , Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume ( APC Borno South) , may be reinstated by the Senate Leadership on resumption from annual recess in September.
Pointer to the unfolding scenario , was apology tendered by Senator Ndume to APC National Leadership at the party’s National Secretariat and interview granted thereafter to journalists that he was invited for the meeting and had learnt his lessons.
Recall that Senator Ndume was removed as Whip of the Senate on 23rd of last month during plenary by Senators on the platform of APC on the strength of request made to that effect through a jointly signed letter by the party’s National Chairman , Dr Abdullahi Ganduje and National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru.
The duo had in the letter read in plenary by President of the Senate , Godswill Akpabio, frowned at Senator Ndume’s incessant open criticism of President Bola Tinubu led administration, which according to the party, was unacceptable.
The APC Senators in acceding to the request, voted affirmatively when put to voice vote by the President of the Senate and also accepted Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno ( APC Borno North ) as new Whip.
But exactly two weeks after at the APC National Secretariat in Abuja , Senator Ndume , sandwiched by the party’s National Chairman and Secretary that wrote the letter which led to his removal, told journalists that all is well with him and the party now.
His words: “Yesterday I was invited by the party and here I am to discuss family matters. Actually, the national chairman is not just a national chairman to me but a father.
“With what has happened which you are all aware, it is not surprising that I am invited to hear my own side and we had family discussions and I actually accepted the mistake of not talking to the party as a last point and I promised the party that all my observations as a senior member of the family should have terminated or ended with the party.
“That is something that moving forward but whatever I said or whatever I did was out of patriotism and those issues may be said strong but they are true but then I should have talked to the party as the last bus stop”.
Though neither the party’s national chairman nor secretary , spoke at the interview but feelers from the meeting indicate that, a similar letter may be written by them to the Senate leadership for reinstatement of Ndume as Whip when Senate resumes plenary on September 17, 2024.
Senator Ndume was in January 2017, removed as Leader of the Senate during the 8th National Assembly before suffering similar fate of removal as principal officer two weeks ago in the 10th Senate.
If reinstated, he will be the first principal officer to be removed and returned.
