Ndume Warns APC Against Overloading as Defections Surge, Says Party Risks Implosion

By our Correspondent

Former Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, has expressed concern over the increasing wave of defections to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) by governors from opposition parties as well as federal lawmakers in both chambers of the National Assembly.

He made the remarks on Sunday night during the late Dr.

Delivering his acceptance speech after receiving the award for “Most Outstanding Legislator and Advocate of National Unity,” the Senator representing Borno South cautioned that the APC risks an internal implosion, claiming that many of those defecting to the party have no real value to add.

He said:
“I have warned that the APC is becoming overloaded. And when you overload a ship, especially with mostly empty cargo, it risks capsizing. If it capsizes, the owner of the ship will face a bigger problem. That is the situation we find ourselves in today.”

Ndume added that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) appears uncomfortable playing the role of minority or opposition. He also stressed that neither the president nor APC leadership has gone out of their way to persuade opposition leaders to cross over.

“I am not aware of anyone, especially governors or leaders, whom the president or any of us in the APC leadership has gone out of our way to persuade to join us. But when your brother is displaced by a crisis in his party and he knocks on your door, will you shut him out or welcome him? That is what is happening.”

He lamented that most defectors remain inactive after joining the APC despite being given leadership privileges, particularly governors who automatically become party leaders in their states.

“Once some of them join the APC, they contribute nothing. They remain silent, doing nothing, even though the party has been magnanimous enough to allow governors who defect to automatically become leaders of the party in their states.”

Drawing analogies from religious settings, Ndume said:
“It is like an ordinary church member, or even a pastor, leaving one church to join another, and immediately wanting to become the pastor in charge. Or someone converting into Islam and insisting on becoming the Imam. Naturally, this creates problems. That is the confusion affecting our political landscape.”

The former Senate Leader appealed to Nigerians to support the current administration as it strives to address the country’s challenges. While acknowledging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s sincerity in pursuing his electoral promises, he maintained that many ministers and presidential aides lack the capacity required for the roles they occupy.

He said:
“We must remember a common saying: charity begins at home. Let us be united. Please, Mr. Chairman, let us be united behind our leader, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. With unity, we can move this country forward.”

Ndume described President Tinubu as a true leader but argued that one person cannot shoulder the burden of governance alone.

“Some may be surprised because I am often critical of the administration. I speak out because I fear that people may think we are failing. Yet we have a leader who is willing to listen.”

“As the Honourable Justice rightly pointed out, we suffer from a lack of leadership, not because the president is not leading, but because one person cannot be the captain, the player, the goalkeeper, and the striker all at once. When one person is left to run the entire field alone, nothing substantial can be achieved.”

He added:
“I once said, and many accused me of being abusive or overly critical, that the government is overloaded with kakistocrats and kleptocrats. We must clear them out so we can move forward.”

Earlier in her remarks, Mrs. Dame Azikiwe, wife of Nigeria’s first President, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, commended the organisers of the annual award for their commitment to sustaining the memory and legacies of her late husband.

She urged present-day public office holders to emulate the selfless service of First Republic leaders. She specifically mentioned Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, former Western Region Premier and opposition leader Chief Obafemi Awolowo, and former Northern Region Premier Ahmadu Bello.

She said:
“They are long gone but their legacies live on. Azikiwe lived for the unity of Nigeria and I am happy a lot of people acknowledged his contributions. Leaders of the First Republic were selfless, not leaders we have now who are bothered about their pockets. I am always happy when people say good things about Zik and what he did.”