Borno South Senator Ali Ndume has recounted how former President Muhammadu Buhari and President Bola Tinubu ordered him to join the All Progressives Congress (APC) some years ago.
Mr Ndume, a member of the APC, disclosed this in a viral video posted by Channels Television on Friday.
He was removed as Senate Chief Whip on Wednesday following a letter from Abdullahi Ganduje, the APC national chairman and Basiru Ajibola, the party’s national secretary.
In the letter, the APC leaders referenced an interview Mr Ndume granted in which he criticised the Bola Tinubu administration and subsequently recommended that the Senate should relieve him of his position.
The APC leaders also advised Mr Ndume to quit the party and join the opposition.
Responding to the advice, Mr Ndume said he is a founding member of the ruling party and had been a member before Mr Ganduje joined.
He explained that he and 21 other senators allied to establish the APC.
The senator, a member of the then-ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said Messrs Buhari and Tinubu ordered him to sign a document inside the Imo State Lodge that he would be a member of the APC.
“I am a founding member of APC. In fact, I can say I was in APC before the national chairman because I am a member of the PDP that formed the APC, and I did not do just like that; it is in consultation with my people that I joined APC.
“We were the 22 senators that joined to form the APC. We were called nPDP then and if you check history and look at the list of the senators, my name is number 21 out of 22. That was because I initially did not want to join APC because of some people that are in the coalition, but I was ordered by Buhari and current president Tinubu to sign to join the APC in the Imo government lodge.
“And it was Rochas Okorocha who was hosting us that was sent to summon me to Imo government lodge where Buhari came with the list and asked me to sign. Tinubu was sitting there; I was sitting there; only the three of us
Peoplesmind
