Ndume: ‘Senate, APC Collectively Assaulted Democracy’ – Mazoji

A former senatorial aspirant under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Katsina State, Zaharaddeen Babba Mazoji, has condemned the removal of Senator Ali Ndume as the Chief Whip of the Senate, describing it as an “assault on democracy.”

This development comes after the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) sent a protest letter to the Senate, leading to Ndume’s removal.

Ndume, who has been vocally critical of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, was also reassigned from his previous committee leadership to head the Tourism Committee, a position he has since rejected.

Mazoji, addressing the issue, expressed his disapproval of Ndume’s removal, stating that it undermines democratic principles.

He noted that Ndume has been a vocal advocate for the concerns of Nigerians, particularly regarding the prevailing economic challenges.

Mazoji said, “The government is doing very little about the food scarcity in the country. And something needs to be done urgently. Hunger is biting hard. Food crisis is the worst crisis that any nation can encounter. If we add that to the security crisis, it will be severe.

“It’s very unfortunate, and it stands condemned by all true democrats and lovers of democracy, especially people of Northern states where Ndume comes from. Democracy is a tradition; it has some cardinal principles. One of them is freedom of expression.

“The APC as a party and the Senate as an institution collectively assaulted democracy, where individuals are not allowed to freely assert themselves within the ambit of the law. Precisely those people that are representing their constituencies.

“It very annoying that the majority of the senators, especially those from the North, have folded their arms as these irregularities happen. The issue of Ndume Is beyond APC as a political party, it’s a matter that is affecting all Nigerians. The APC is supposed to be a democratic party. It is supposed to be a party that communicates, discusses everything and operates on the basis of democracy, not to use their position to control one out of the three arms government.”