From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
Apparently angered by Senator Ali Ndume’s recent outburst against President Bola Tinubu’s administration, the Coalition of North-East Elders Forum (CNEF) has questioned the rationale behind such an outburst against a government that is doing its best to ensure good governance for the citizenry.
Senator Ndume has represented Borno South Senatorial District for the past 20 years in the National Assembly.
Senator Ndume recently attacked the administration of President Tinubu, saying it is run by kakistocrats – those deemed the least qualified and most unscrupulous citizens – and kleptocrats, who are merely in power to steal.
However, the elders said the lawmaker is expected not to attack President Tinubu but to support him in tackling insecurity caused by insurgents and bandits in Borno State and the northern region of the country.
The group, in a statement signed by the Coordinator, Alhaji Ali Ibrahim Sheriff, said, “What is expected from Senator Ali Ndume now is to work closely with the President; Vice President, who is from the same Borno State as him; and security agencies to address the unprovoked attacks by insurgents and bandits in the north.”
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“As concerned elders from the Northeast geopolitical zone, we wondered why during the days of President Buhari he chose to be silent in the midst of heightened problems of insecurity, pervasive hunger, looting of public funds, and bad governance?”
While telling the Chief Whip of the Senate to be sensitive to the yearnings of his people in Borno and the North, the elders asked him what he has done with the money received for constituency projects and intervention funds allocated for members of his constituency over the twenty-year period in the National Assembly.
The elders further said: “If leadership is as easy as that, we make bold to ask, all these years, how many internally displaced persons (IDPs) has he trained, educated, and empowered with funds allocated to him?”
“If Ndume is not a liability and economic burden to the good people of Borno State and the entire country, he should come out boldly to render an account of his stewardship, or we will mobilise voters against him come 2027.”
However, they called on northerners to shun what they termed, “Ndume’s divisive vituperations” and support the Tinubu and Shettima administration to tackle the security challenges in the north and other parts of the country.