Why I may leave APC soon – Ndume

Senator Ali Ndume, who represents Borno South in the National Assembly, has hinted at the possibility of leaving the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) if President Bola Ahmed Tinubu fails to address Nigeria’s pressing challenges.

Speaking during an interview on Prime Time, an Arise Television programme, the outspoken lawmaker expressed growing frustration with the current administration’s inability to deliver on key reforms.

Ndume, a long-time ally of the president, disclosed that he has attended several meetings involving opposition leaders who are strategizing to form a strong coalition to unseat Tinubu in the 2027 general elections.

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“I’m aware of the opposition coalition. I went to several of their meetings. I still believe this president can fix these things, but failure might cause me to move. The overloaded ship will sink,” Ndume said.

“They have been making overtures, but I told them I don’t want to jump from the frying pan into the fire. I have to be sure.

“I believe that Tinubu can be a successful president; that was my expectation, but if he continues this way, that ship, whether you load in other people or governors, you are just endangering the APC, pushing it towards capsizing,” he said.

“As the president said, there is a vacancy in the ship. But if you overload the ship, it will probably capsize, and if it capsizes, you lose everybody.”

Ndume criticised the motivations behind some defections to the ruling APC, describing them as driven by “indirect stick-and-carrot politics” rather than principles.

“Most people are not joining based on principles but due to the indirect stick-and-carrot politics. And that is not healthy at all,” he added.