By Abdul Kareem

Borno South Senator, Ali Ndume, has come under fire from one of his constituents, a prominent lawyer and policy analyst Dr. Daniel Bwala, who accuses him of grandstanding and hypocrisy in recent statements made to the media. 

Bwala went after his senator in angst over the lawmakers’ widely publicized criticism of the administration of the Nigerian President,  Bola Ahmed Tinubu. 

“Mr President (Bola Tinubu) is not in the picture of what is happening outside the Villa. He has been fenced off and caged. So many of us won’t go through the backdoor to engage him, ” Ndume said in a widely publicized media interview. 

The Senator, who has been in office for 21 years, is also being vilified for the recent and other controversial stances on national issues and his alleged “failure” to demonstrate leadership qualities.

Dr. Bwala, who was reacting to the senator’s recent calling out of the president of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, over the economic situation in the country and suggesting that he (President Tinubu) was caged inside Aso Rock, said senator Ali Ndume has continued to show lack of leadership quality by any standard. 

“He is just a beneficiary of a system that promotes Stockholm syndrome.” This accusation sheds light on Ndume’s alleged shortcomings in building a legacy of mentorship and excellence for his constituents.

Furthermore, Dr. Bwala highlighted Ndume’s relentless attacks on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, questioning the Senator’s motives and integrity. 

“It is only hypocritical of Senator Ndume to continue to blame the same system that he, alongside his family, has benefited immensely from. It does not portray him as a man with dignity,” remarked Dr. Bwala.

In further response to Ndume’s criticisms of the current administration, Dr. Bwala emphasized the need for integrity and transparency in political discourse. 

“What Senator Ndume should have done is to show that he is a man of honour and dignity. If his desire is to pander and fraternise with those who overtly want Tinubu out, he should show his true colour without hiding behind a finger,” he stated.

The renowned lawyer said Senator Ali Ndume’s ongoing feud with President Tinubu and his approach to national issues have raised questions about his leadership style and political agenda. 

Senator Ndume, who has been in the National Assembly since 2003 has been one of the most elected public figures in Borno as he has always won all the re-elections he stood for. But Bwala averred that despite all the massive show of electoral solidarity in the last two decades, he has not done much to justify the support he got. 

“The question therefore is, how many people has Senator Ali Ndume built in his 21-year sway at the National Assembly?” Bwala said. “As a two-term House of Representatives member from 2003 through 2011, and now a 4th term Senator representing people of Southern Borno in the Red Chamber, who are his mentees who have gone on to excel in life?”

Though Dr Bwala had categorically lampooned Ndume for not mentoring any one to political relevance in his entire 21 years of being in public offices, the all-white-dressed senator is famed for his (now rested) medical outreach for people with cataract, the expansion of UMTH wards, the moving of motion that established NEED amongst others. 

As the controversy unfolds, stakeholders are eager to see how Ndume will address these allegations of grandstanding and hypocrisy in the public eye.