Ndume says Tinubu made a mistake by not appointing El-Rufai as Minister to correct him
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
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“You don’t form your government with dependents. And most of it, the President is a king maker, remember?
“So when the king maker becomes a king, then there is a problem which he must identify himself so that he can have people that will stand up to him and tell him the truth.
“This is now what is lacking in this government. And what I said, and I still stand on it. Until there is a change. The government of Tinubu is dominated by kleptocrats” – Ndume
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Senator Ali Ndume (APC, Borno South) has alleged that the regime of Bola Tinubu “is dominated by kleptocrats” and the President made a mistake by not appointing former Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai as a Minister who would have stood up to him.
Kleptocrats are government officials who abuse their power to steal from the treasury through embezzling public funds, accepting bribes, or engaging in corrupt business deals.
Ndume said he believes that El-Rufai would have been one of the Ministers who would have had the courage to stand up to Tinubu and tell him the truth at all times.
In his view, this is one of the ingredients lacking in the government as Tinubu surrounds himself with people who lack the courage to speak to him.
Ndume recounted in an interview on Arise Television that Tinubu nominated El-Rufai as a Minister and sent his name to the Senate for screening but the nomination did not sail through.
“I’m not El-Rufai’s fan or friend or anything. But truth must be told, you see that was where Mr. President got it wrong,” he said.
“You don’t form your government with dependents. And most of it, the President is a king maker, remember?
“So when the king maker becomes a king, then there is a problem which he must identify himself so that he can have people that will stand up to him and tell him the truth.
“This is now what is lacking in this government. And what I said, and I still stand on it. Until there is a change. The government of Tinubu is dominated by kleptocrats.”
El-Rufai has since defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and promised to ensure the defeat of Tinubu in his bid for a second term in 2027, describing his administration as “evil”.
Ndume himself disclosed in his latest interview that he would leave the APC and join the opposition coalition if Tinubu continues with the trajectory of his bad governance which has deepened poverty and made life unbearable for the masses.
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