The former Senate Chief Whip and the lawmaker representing Borno South, Senator Ali Ndume on Friday, July 19, 2024, rejected the chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Tourism, a new position given to him by the Senate President, Sen. Godswill Akpabio after being stripped of his former position.

Ndume disclosed the decision at his country home in Maiduguri, the Borno State Capital, barely 48 hours after he was removed as the Chief Whip of the Senate. Recall that Ndume was sacked as the Senate Chief Whip after condemning President Bola Tinubu’s government.

Ndume, while reacting to his removal, said that after examining the discussion that enraged his colleagues, he believed his action did not warrant the punishment. He said he refused the chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Tourism because he lacks the experience and exposure to lead such a sensitive group. The lawmaker claimed that he was allowed to decide on which committee to serve as the vice chairman, having successfully led the campaigns that brought about the emergence of Godswill Akpabio as President of the Senate.

On assumptions that he may quit from the All Progressives Congress, (APC), the senator said he will remain in the party, being a founding member. According to him, he was one of the 22 senators from the PDP that formed the APC when the current national chairman of the party, Abdullahi Ganduje, was a deputy governor in Kano State.

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