Your claims about Tinubu haughty, unnecessary,’ APC tackles Ndume

…Quit your penchant attention-seeking media posturing’ APC tackles Ndume over Tinubu.

By Ayorinde Oluokun/Abuja

The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC has described as ‘haughty and unnecessary, the clam by the Ali Ndume, the senator representing Borno South, that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been “caged” and unaware of the challenges facing Nigerians.

Ndume who is also Chief Whip of the Senate made the claim while contributing to discussion on the challenges of soaring cost of living and insecurity in the country recently at the plenary of the upper chamber of the National Assembly.

However, the APC in a statement issued by Felix Morka, its National Publicity Secretary on Saturday disagreed with the Senator as it insisted that the ‘President is busy doing the job for which he was elected by the Nigerian people’.

“He is the head of government of which there are many critical parts equipped with power to process and deal with a wide range of simple to complex social, economic, political or security challenges. The president’s time is required to be used judiciously in attending to important matters of state,” APC said as it enumerated some of the recent activities of the President to justify its claim.

“Just about nine days ago, on July 4, 2024, the President inaugurated the Presidential Economic Coordination Council (PECC) and launched the Economic Stabilization Programme to ensure food security, improved power supply, enhanced social welfare, healthcare, increased energy production and general economic transformation.

“Further, a couple of days ago, President Tinubu was in an important meeting with leaders of organised labour on the issue of the new minimum wage.

President Tinubu meets and interacts regularly with citizens, officials and guests from all walks of life, as his schedule permits. He has continued to superintend the formulation and implementation of policy and programme measures aimed at mitigating prevailing economic conditions and boosting availability and price access to food and other essential commodities.

“In similar vein, President Tinubu recently signed an Executive Order aimed at reducing the high cost of drugs; approved tax waivers for the importation of some food items in the bid to crashing prices and ensuring food sufficiency; directed the Armed Forces to combat and defeat resurgent of acts of terror, among many other important engagements that speak eloquently to his command of the situation in the country.

The party queried Ndume on the extent in which he has utilised the platform of the National Assembly to raise and address matters that he may consider to be in the national interest.

“He also has access to the entire machinery of the federal government of Nigeria. Senator Ndume did not explain the use to which he has put these enormous access in seeking solutions to concerns that he may have,” the party said.

“It is understandable if Senator Ndume feels frustrated by his suggested inability to access the President. But that does not warrant or justify his outlandish declaration that the President has been caged in some way or ensconced from the reality of conditions in the country. Senator Ndume’s heedless comments smack of an indulgent sense of entitlement to see the President on a whim.

“As a senior Party man and Senator of the Federal Republic, we urge Ndume to exercise restraint and quit his penchant for unhelpful attention-seeking media posturing.

“Our dear country needs all hands to be on deck on the cusp of national transformation, each doing their part to remake the social, economic and security conditions in the best interest of our people,” APC cautioned Ndume in the statement.