Senator Ali Ndume from Borno South has denied supporting President Bola Tinubu’s endorsement for the 2027 presidential election, even though he was present when All Progressives Congress (APC) governors backed the president.
Ndume, who has been critical of Tinubu’s administration, made this statement during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics program.
The senator warned President Tinubu that getting support from party governors doesn’t guarantee election victory. He pointed to what happened in 2015 when 22 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors endorsed then-President Goodluck Jonathan for re-election. Despite that strong party support, Jonathan still lost the election to Muhammadu Buhari of the APC.
In May this year, 22 APC governors officially adopted Tinubu as their party’s candidate for the 2027 presidential race.
Ndume explained that he was at the Presidential Villa for a different reason when the endorsement happened, and he didn’t participate in supporting the president. “I was there, but that was not why I was there; I was there for a summit, and when I realised that it was not a summit and a voice vote was put about the endorsement of Mr President, I just left, and that does not mean I am not an APC member. The majority had its way, but few of us felt that was not right,” he said.
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The senator emphasised that being physically present doesn’t mean he agreed with what happened.
Ndume expressed serious concerns about the country’s condition under Tinubu’s leadership. “Things are very bad in the country; Nigerians cannot see any hope; they are doubting the Renewed Hope,” he said, referring to Tinubu’s campaign slogan.
The senator criticized politicians for not learning from past mistakes, specifically referencing Jonathan’s 2015 defeat despite having strong party backing. “It happened before, not once, not twice. It happened during Jonathan. That does not mean anything. Politicians are decamping, but the people who are the voters are not decamping,” Ndume explained.
He added: “I hope that he would look back historically and see that the gathering of people to endorse you does not mean anything. Jonathan had 22 governors then endorsing him, like was done now. And what happened? Jonathan lost woefully.”
The senator noted that despite expensive campaigns and even shifting the election date, Jonathan still lost his re-election bid. “A lot of money was spent. Even the election was shifted, but we are not learning our lessons. I pity Mr President,” Ndume concluded.
