By Dipo Olowookere
The Chief Whip of the Nigerian Senate, Mr Ali Ndume, has been removed from the position after he criticised the policies of President Bola Tinubu.
The lawmaker from Borno South Senatorial District had lambasted the government of Mr Tinubu for putting Nigerians through untold hardship.
He lamented the rising cost of living, saying many citizens were now going to bed hungry because of an acute shortage of food in circulation.
He claimed that Mr Tinubu had been isolated from happenings in the country by some powerful elements, who have prevented him from interacting with his ministers and some members of the National Assembly.
According to him, the President has surrounded himself with praise singers, who are giving him the wrong impression that all was well in the country.
He had warned that if nothing was done to address insecurity and food crisis in the country, the current unrest in Kenya, triggered by a proposed tax hike, would be child’s play in Nigeria, especially at a time some youths were planning a nationwide protest.
At the plenary on Wednesday, the Senate President, Mr Godswill Akpabio, announced the removal of Mr Ndume from his exalted position, replacing him with Mr Tahir Mungono from Borno North Senatorial District.
The sacking of Mr Ndume as the Chip Whip of the Senate was also endorsed by members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Senate Caucus, which received a letter from the party.
In the letter signed by the party’s national chairman, Mr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, and the secretary, Mr Ajibola Bashiru, the former Chief Whip was asked to resign if he was no longer happy with being a member.
The party noted that it would not allow the lawmaker to use its platform to incite the public against President Tinubu, emphasising that he was free to join another party of his choice.