Senate Leader: I Was Betrayed – Ndume

[caption id="attachment_15408" align="alignnone" width="620"]Ali Ndume, Ex-Senate Leader[/caption]

The sacked Senate leader, Mohammed Ali Ndume, has said that he was betrayed by his colleagues who secretly plotted to remove him by endorsing their signatures.

The senator, in a brief chat with correspondent of the Nigerian Television Authority, NTA shortly after Wednesday’s plenary said that his removal was announced when he went for his afternoon prayers.

He said that his colleague did not have the courage to confront him, adding that he didn’t do anything wrong to deserve the removal.

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He said that he has taken his loss in good faith, adding that despite the unfortunate incident, he wished the new leader and the senate well.

He said, “Anything that happens to a man, he should take it the way it comes and pray to God that it is for the better.

“I thank God that I served one and a half years. So many people have died within that year that are better than me.

“In fact yesterday one of my friends died as I was removed as the senate leader, but I thank God.

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“The public didn’t find me wanting in the discharge of my responsibility as Senate Leader. And then I have not been accused in any form of mismanagement, corruption, abuse of office.

“My colleagues sat down, though not under normal circumstance, removed me. I feel that is dishonorable. These people will remove you by collecting signature behind you and are hiding the collection of the signature. And then it is announced when you go to pray. In your absence.

“I thank God that maybe even those that did it, did not have the courage to confront me and say this is it. And as I said this is just a past thing, it has happened and am ready to move on.

“I did not come here to be the Senate Leader, I wanted to be the Senate President but didn’t make it, I contested for the Deputy Senate President, I lost, and I took it in good faith and now I was appointed the senate leader and I have been removed in a controversial circumstance. The party is saying one thing

and we are saying one thing but God has destined that I’ll be the senate leader for one and a half years.

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“I want to really thank my supporters and those so many people out there that appreciate my performance as senate leader. I have seen it on twitter.

“I haven’t done anything. If anything, we disagreed on the confirmation of Magu as chairman of EFCC and I still stand by my position that Magu was not rejected.

“And he is from my state and the senate leader as at that time, my responsibility is I am the chief marketing officer of everything that the president brought so I had to stand by the nominee from my state and the nominee from the president. If that situation occurs again, I’ll still do that

“As I told my colleagues, I hold no grudge against anybody. The fact that some people signed and lost confidence in me for no reason, some people didn’t sign.

“About four or five members came to me and said they didn’t know, and some are saying that they were told that it is a decision by the party, well if it is neither here or there, whatever it is I take it in good faith.

“The new leader is my brother, I wish him well. This senate must stand.”

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