‘You Reap What You Sow’: Ndume Taunts El-Rufai, Warns Tinubu of APC Collapse
Borno South Senator, Ali Ndume, has delivered a scathing critique of both President Bola Tinubu’s administration and former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, suggesting El-Rufai is now facing the consequences of betraying former minister Rotimi Amaechi.
Ndume, who served as the Director-General of the Amaechi Presidential Campaign during the APC primaries, made the remarks during an interview on Arise News on Tuesday, where he also issued a thinly veiled threat to leave the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) if Tinubu fails to address Nigeria’s deepening crises.
“If I decide to leave the APC, I won’t hide it,” Ndume declared, expressing frustration with the direction of Tinubu’s government. “I still believe President Tinubu can fix things. But failure to do so may cause me to leave the APC.”
The outspoken senator cautioned Tinubu against indiscriminately welcoming defectors to the party, warning that an overloaded APC could collapse under its own weight.
“When you overload a ship, it might lead to the capsizing of the party,” he warned.
Ndume also took jabs at El-Rufai, who has recently fallen out with the Tinubu administration and now openly criticises the President after being denied a cabinet appointment. The former Kaduna Governor has since joined the opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP).
Ndume did not hide his sense of vindication over El-Rufai’s predicament, recalling how the former governor initially pledged support for Amaechi during the APC presidential primaries, only to switch allegiance to Tinubu.
“El-Rufai was supposed to be on our side, but he moved over,” Ndume recalled. “I think these are part of the things that are annoying or frustrating him now.”
The senator went further to recount how, as Senate Chief Whip, he and his colleagues nearly gave El-Rufai an easy pass during his ministerial screening — a process that ultimately ended in El-Rufai’s rejection.
“But sometimes, I’ll say, ‘Okay o, you did that to us, it’s payback to yourself,’” he remarked.
This isn’t the first time Ndume has criticised Tinubu’s inner circle. Earlier this month, during an appearance on Channels TV, he accused some presidential aides of deceiving Tinubu and damaging his reputation, claiming the government has been hijacked by “kleptocrats” and “kakistocrats.”
With tensions simmering within the APC and former allies-turned-rivals trading accusations, cracks within the ruling party appear to be widening, raising questions about its unity ahead of future political battles.
