Senator Ali Ndume of Borno State has expressed strong reservations about the ongoing crisis in the All Progressives Congress (APC), criticising how the party treats dissenting voices.
Speaking to Pulse Nigeria at the 1st ECOWAS extraordinary session of 2025 in Lagos, Ndume accused the APC leadership of unfairly labelling certain members, including former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai and former minister Rotimi Amaechi, as “rebels” for speaking their minds.
Addressing the controversy surrounding El-Rufai’s recent remarks on the state of the APC, Ndume stated, “This El-Rufai’s case, my case, and that of Amaechi—those of us considered rebels—it’s unfair. If you’re in a party and you speak up when things aren’t right, you shouldn’t be insulted for it. That’s not democracy.”
Ndume questioned the effectiveness of the APC’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, arguing that while it was necessary, it failed to address the party’s deeper issues.
“The meeting is good, but what did it achieve? Nothing. A party in crisis must be seen functioning, like PDP, where internal discussions happen freely,” he said.
The lawmaker also criticised how debates in Nigeria often shift from policy discussions to personal attacks.
“When I talked about tax reform, instead of addressing my points, people started discussing me. It’s not about Ndume. Let’s debate ideas, not personalities,” he added.
