BREAKING: Uncertainty in APC as Senator Ndume Pity Tinubu Ahead of 2027

Uncertainty in APC as Senator Ndume Pity Tinubu Ahead of 2027

 

 

Senator Ali Ndume, representing Borno South, has distanced himself from the recent endorsement of President Bola Tinubu for a second term, cautioning against overconfidence and drawing parallels with former President Goodluck Jonathan’s failed re-election bid in 2015.

 

Speaking on Sunday during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, Ndume, a prominent member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and a long-serving federal lawmaker, expressed concern over the premature endorsement of President Tinubu by 22 APC governors.

 

The senator, who has spent over two decades in the National Assembly, recalled that former President Goodluck Jonathan was endorsed by 22 governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2015, yet lost his re-election bid to then opposition candidate Muhammadu Buhari.

 

“This is not new. It happened before. Jonathan had 22 governors backing him, and he still lost — woefully. A lot of money was spent, the election was even postponed, but it didn’t work. I pity Mr President,” Ndume said, expressing concern that similar political miscalculations are being repeated.

 

On May 22, 2025, 22 APC governors unanimously endorsed Tinubu to contest the 2027 presidential election. However, Ndume revealed that he walked out of the endorsement event held at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa in Abuja, stating he was originally there for a summit and was surprised by the political declaration.

 

“I was there but that was not why I was there; I was there for a summit,” Ndume said. “When I realised that it was not a summit and that a voice vote was being taken to endorse the president, I just left.”

 

Ndume, a prominent APC member, said his decision to walk out does not mean he is abandoning the party but insists the current situation in the country does not warrant a focus on re-election.

 

“Things are very bad in the country. Nigerians cannot see any hope, they are doubting the ‘Renewed Hope’ agenda,” he lamented, referring to the rising cost of living and continued insecurity across regions.

 

While emphasizing that he remains loyal to the APC, the senator criticized what he sees as premature politicking amid national hardship.

 

“Politicians are decamping but the people who are the voters are not decamping,” he noted, adding that the concerns of ordinary Nigerians must take precedence over internal political alignments.