Rebuilding N/East central to my aspiration – Ndume
By Tunde Opalana, Abuja
*Faults APC’s imposition, insists on contesting
Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume representing Borno South Senatorial District has said that he will use the office of the Senate President to secure more humanitarian support for the insurgency damaged socio- economic infrastructure of the North East region if he emerges as president of the 9th Senate.
He said his mission for the 9th Senate is not personal, but part of what needs to be done in the polity of the country, maintaining that the North East as a result of insurgent activities now finds itself in a precarious situation.
Speaking with journalists yesterday, Ndume said “the insurgency has inflicted N9.2 trillion worth of destruction on the North East. And you need somebody who knows where it pinches.
“We in Borno state are in the epicenter of the Boko Haram destruction. So it is not like what you will get from the office of the Senate President, but what you can do with it.
“If you are the Senate President in this country, you will be able to globetrot around, tell people how the problem is because you are in the heart of the problem. You know how it is and how it feels.
“So, if this opportunity is given to us, we have three critical issues in Borno, particularly and the North East in general.”
Issues central to his ambition, he said, include “the issue of recharging of the Lake Chad which should be taken globally by somebody that knows it, somebody that can explain it better to the people.
“Two, the issue of insurgency as I said had inflicted a N9.2 trillion damage on us. If we are to go by monthly federal allocation and the budget of the state, it will take us ages.
“Right now, you can rightly say that Borno is a failed state. And the only way to bring it back is to have a way. And part of it is because I know and my passion for it because it affects me directly.
“Right now, as I am speaking to you, I cannot comfortably drive to my local government. It has no light now because it is not connected. It has no telephone because the insurgents have destroyed the equipment. The ecosystem is destroyed; our schools are closed.
“Secondly, I have been in this place for quite a while. The Senate was intended to be a stabilizing institution in the polity.”
Ndume faulted the position of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in having anointed candidates in the choice of leaders for the National Assembly, insisting that “first of all, it is wrong for leaders to be given a leader from amongst themselves.
“They are supposed to decide who among themselves is supposed to be their leader. And that also, is taken care of by the constitution in Section 50 (1). It is very clear as to how the Senate leadership should emerge. I am glad that the party after doing that announcement, realized that it was wrong and unconstitutional.
“Even the party supremacy that they are talking about; in Article two of the APC constitution, it says that subject to the provision of the constitution, the APC will provide services to the government. And Section 50 of the constitution is very clear about emergence of the leadership.
“Besides, in all the emergence of candidates of the APC, there is no provision for imposition. The President emerges through a democratic process. And the election was open, it was zoned in line with the constitution.
“Even then, Rochas Okorocha contested and he was not disciplined. Buhari contested with Atiku, Kwankwanso and the others, nobody was disciplined.”
He added that he is not more qualified to be the Senate President nor better than other aspirants as majority of senators were born with silver spoons while others came from very poor backgrounds.
“My father was not educated. I am the son of nobody that became somebody. I am a human being that has rights guaranteed by the constitution of Nigeria which I won’t compromise.
“Even before I threw my hat into the ring for the Senate Presidency seat, my people called on me to throw my hat for the position. And I did for many reasons. One, I feel I am qualified. Two, I feel I should be given the chance. Three, the zoning was made to the North East deliberately because of the precarious situation that we find ourselves,” the senator added.
