The Senate has rejected a motion to take punitive measures against former Chief Whip Ali Ndume for his comments during an interview, where he referred to the lawmakers as “kleptomaniacs.”
The motion was dismissed following a point of order raised by Senator Fasuyi Cyril from Ekiti North on Wednesday. Senator Cyril had called for punitive measures against Ndume for his remarks. However, when Senate President Godswill Akpabio put the matter to a voice vote, there was unanimous rejection of the motion, and the Senate then entered an executive session.
This development follows the Senate’s decision to replace Ndume with Tahir Munguno as Chief Whip. The upper chamber unanimously agreed to the replacement after reading a complaint from the All Progressive Congress (APC) National Headquarters regarding Ndume’s “unbecoming utterances.” The complaint was read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
Ndume, who was noticeably absent from the session, has been vocal in his criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s economic policies, highlighting issues such as economic hardship, food scarcity, and security crises. As a result, he was not only stripped of his Chief Whip position but also removed as Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations.
Ndume has since been reassigned to chair the Senate Committee on Tourism.