Senator Ali Ndume, representing Borno South senatorial district, has criticized President Bola Tinubu’s inner circle, saying the president is being poorly advised by aides lacking political insight and grassroots connections.
Speaking Wednesday on ARISE Television’s Prime Time, Ndume warned that rising discontent in the North could have electoral consequences if urgent steps are not taken to address prevailing concerns. “Anybody that tells you that the North is not grumbling now is not telling the truth,” he said.
“It will be loud in their votes if nothing is done about it. The good thing about it is that the President can turn things around.” The lawmaker said northern leaders had made efforts to engage the President constructively, noting that he personally participated in meetings between Tinubu and northern elders.
“In the North, northern elders have been reaching out. I was part of the first and the last meeting with Mr President when northern elders went to him. He was prepared, he brought all the critical appointees from the North and we had a wonderful session.”
According to Ndume, despite assurances from the President, the engagement process stalled shortly afterwards. “He promised that it would continue, but it never happened,” he added. While absolving Tinubu of direct blame, Ndume argued that the President’s challenges stem largely from the calibre of people around him.
“You know what I’m suspecting? The President is not the problem; it is the people around the President that are the problem,” he said. He contrasted Tinubu’s current leadership environment with his time as governor of Lagos State, which he said was marked by strong and capable advisers.
“The President had good people around him when he was governor of Lagos; that was why he succeeded. Most of the good people are not there now. They have been sidelined.” Ndume further criticized some presidential aides for what he described as elitist isolation and lack of national outlook. “He just picked people that don’t know anybody.
They only know Ikoyi, Victoria Island and from there they fly to London or America where their families are living. They are not even full Nigerians. “Instead of bringing in his team that would look at him in the face and tell him the truth, he decided to surround himself with people that don’t know politics,” the lawmaker said. He warned that unless concerns, particularly in the North, are addressed, dissatisfaction could deepen and manifest strongly at the polls.