The Labour Party (LP) has strongly condemned the removal of Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume as the majority chief whip of the Senate, criticizing the action as a response to the lawmaker’s vocal support for the suffering Nigerian masses.
The LP accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Senate leadership of punishing Ndume for speaking truth to power.
In a statement issued by the National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, Obiora Ifoh, on Wednesday, the party stated that the removal of Ndume by the Goodwill Akpabio-led Senate demonstrates the dictatorial tendencies of the APC.
The statement followed Ndume’s recent public criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s administration regarding the escalating cost of living and food scarcity in Nigeria.
“Senator Ndume came under attack from the Presidency and APC in the last few days following a TV interview where he expressed his concerns regarding the escalating cost of living and food scarcity in Nigeria, and his claim that President Bola Tinubu has chosen to play the ostrich even in the face of acute starvation being witnessed in Nigeria,” the statement read.
The Labour Party highlighted the recent dismissal of Ndume from his principal office by the Senate, which occurred after the APC’s national leadership demanded his resignation and replacement.
The LP viewed this move as an attempt to suppress dissent within the legislature.
Obiora Ifoh noted, “The dimension this administration is taking is grave. A few months ago, Senator Abdul Ningi exposed the rot in the government where the Senate leadership and the executive collaborators allegedly padded the budget. That got him suspended and intimidated out of his lawful representative role as a senator.”
The Labour Party also criticized the economic crisis in Nigeria, citing data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and the 2023 State of Food Security and Nutrition World report. The LP pointed out that food inflation has risen to 40.66 percent, and the number of food-insecure Nigerians has increased by 133 percent in three years.
“Even with all these glaring and scaring challenges, the government is said to have paid about N150 billion naira for a presidential jet, building roads that have no direct bearing with the economic crises in Nigeria,” Ifoh continued.
The LP further alleged that media practitioners are being intimidated and are afraid to report facts about the government due to the fear of reprisals.
The party condemned the APC for interfering with the independence of the legislative arm and urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and defend against what it termed the “starvation weapon” being deployed by the current administration.
“This is clearly a tyranny of a cabal against legislative autonomy. Nigeria is gradually descending into dictatorship, and we are calling on the citizens to be on alert and put up a defense against the starvation weapon being deployed by this administration,” Ifoh concluded.