Tinubu’s ‘incompetent aides’ causing him embarrassment, says Ndume

Senator representing Borno South, Ali Ndume, has accused some officials around President Bola Tinubu of incompetence, saying their actions are exposing the administration to avoidable embarrassment.

Mr Ndume, who did not mention specific names, described some members of the Presidency as “kakistocrats” and warned that they would continue to “mess him up” unless the President takes decisive action.

The lawmaker spoke on Wednesday during an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme.

Mr Ndume said the recent discovery of a fake government agency operating under the administration was an indication of the lapses within the Presidency, arguing that the presence of competent officials would have prevented such an incident.

“My concern remains that the President has so many kakistocrats dominating the Presidency. Unless he does something about it, they will continue to mess him up,” he said.

“We had a fake agency operating with an office, and after the ICPC investigated, they discovered even more. A permanent secretary in the Presidency had to be suspended.
”That is where I give the President credit, but I insist that if he had capable hands, all this mess and embarrassment wouldn’t be happening. He is still not taking the appropriate action on it.”

Mr Ndume also faulted the composition of the newly constituted APC Presidential Campaign Council ahead of the 2027 election, arguing that the party, rather than the President, should take the lead in the campaign.

“People put up the presidential campaign committee. If I had the ear of Mr President, there was no need for a presidential campaign committee. Instead, what is the party doing? The President is the product of the party. The owner of a product should be the one selling the product, not the product selling itself,” he said.

On the removal of fuel subsidy, Ndume said he supported the policy, describing it as one of the difficult decisions taken by the Tinubu administration.

He, however, said the hardship resulting from the policy had become a major political challenge for the APC, despite Tinubu’s assurances that Nigerians would eventually experience relief.

“The performance of this administration, when you look at it in context, is that the President has expressed himself and genuinely wanted to confront difficult issues. He has taken very difficult decisions, and it is painful to Nigerians—that is the greatest part of it now,” he said.

Mr Ndume said the consequences of the government’s economic policies were fueling public anxiety, noting that Nigerians were waiting to see the promised benefits.

“The President himself acknowledged that there is hardship as a result of the policies, but promised Nigerians that there will be light at the end of the tunnel. Nigerians are very anxious and waiting, and some are even saying there is no sign of light at the end of the tunnel,” he said.

The senator again blamed the President’s aides for what he described as poor communication of government policies, accusing them of attacking critics instead of responding to the issues they raise.

“We are saying that the staff or people he has around him are the major problem. Instead of talking about ideas and events, they have small minds and talk about people. When anybody makes a statement, the President’s spokespersons rush on TV to insult the person and call them names.

“That is not it. You take the points that person made about the system one after the other,” he said.

Mr Ndume urged the APC to focus on explaining its policies and achievements to Nigerians rather than attacking political opponents.

“My advice to the opposition is to focus on the policies and performance of the government, put down your alternative policy agenda, and convince Nigerians that it is workable,” he said.

He also advised the opposition against relying solely on promises to reverse the fuel subsidy policy, saying Nigerians should be presented with clear alternative policies.

On the 2027 APC Presidential Campaign Council, Ndume said he doubted whether Tinubu was fully aware of the processes that led to its composition, arguing that greater presidential involvement could have prevented the complaints that followed.

“From what happened, you can see that even the President was not fully aware. Why would there be complaints? I’ll give you an example. It seemed he wasn’t aware, because if he were aware, there wouldn’t have been complaints,” he said.

Mr Ndume maintained his criticism of what he described as “kakistocrats and kleptocrats” within the administration, arguing that removing such officials and allowing government institutions to function properly would improve the administration’s performance.

“That is what brought in the kakistocrats and kleptocrats, and I still maintain that position. Once you get rid of these guys and allow the system to work properly, Nigerians will see it,” he concluded.