Daniel Bwala, a lawyer and public affairs analyst, has announced that President Bola Tinubu will unveil a new cabinet in a few weeks. In an interview with BBC Hausa on Wednesday, Ndume expressed concerns about the federal government’s inability to address security challenges and other issues, noting that some ministers are unable to meet with President Tinubu to discuss these matters. He stated, “The major problem with this government is that its doors are closed, to the extent that even some ministers cannot see the President, not to mention members of the National Assembly, who do not have the opportunity to meet with him and discuss the issues affecting their constituencies.”
Ndume further told journalists at the National Assembly that the president had lost touch with reality, claiming that certain forces had caged him at Aso Rock. Bwala responded to these remarks in an article titled “Ali Ndume, the rant of an expert in grandstanding,” asserting that Ndume was unfit to criticize Tinubu. He questioned what Ndume had achieved for his constituents over his two-decade tenure.
“Senator Ali Ndume has continued to show a lack of leadership quality by any standard. He is just a beneficiary of a system that promotes Stockholm syndrome. Otherwise, how could a man with relatively less political value continue to represent people for 21 years, yet be involved in endless controversies with little to show for it in his Senatorial District?” Bwala wrote.
He continued, “The question, therefore, is how many people has Senator Ali Ndume built in his 21-year sway at the National Assembly? As a 2-term House of Representatives member from 2003 through 2011, and now a 4th term Senator representing people of Southern Borno in the Red Chamber, who are his mentees who have gone on to excel in life?”
Bwala accused Ndume of attempting to undermine President Tinubu, ignoring the fact that the current issues stem from the previous administration. “Senator Ndume continues to make it look like the situation Nigeria finds herself in is President Tinubu’s making. He forgets that whatever Nigeria is going through today, the seed was planted by his Northern brother, President Muhammadu Buhari’s unfortunate leadership for 8 years. The present administration is trying hard to clean up the mess of his brother in the midst of an excruciating economic situation.”
Bwala highlighted that an assessment of the current ministers had been conducted and that a new cabinet reshuffling would be announced soon. “Senator Ndume constantly disparages President Tinubu’s administration over his cabinet members. He is quick to forget that many of the so-called cabinet members were brought by people like him, governors, and party leaders from across the states of the Federation.
“Mr. President has repeatedly stated that he would not run a cabinet that is not prone to reshuffling. Only recently, the assessment of the current crop of Ministers was done. And in a couple of days or weeks from now, President Tinubu would unveil a new cabinet reshuffling.”
Bwala concluded by criticizing Ndume’s constant complaints and questioning his contributions. In May, President Tinubu had vowed to remove any cabinet member who did not meet the expectations of Nigerians, stating, “I thank the cabinet members for their efforts, but I will relieve any of them of their duties anytime I feel that they are failing Nigerians.”