Interview: 'I won’t be treated like Saraki if I emerge Senate President' – Ndume

Why are you contesting for the Position of Senate President?

It is part of what we need to do as a Senate. These are leaders by their own rights. First, it is wrong for leaders to be given a leader from among themselves. They are supposed to decide who should be their leader. That is also taken care of by the Section 51 of Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

That is not to say that I think I am more qualified to be the Senate President that others. In fact, most of them were born with silver spoons but I come from a very poor background. My father is not rich; he didn’t go to school. I am the son of nobody that became somebody without knowing anybody. I am very mindful of that.

Also, I am a human being that have rights guaranteed by the Constitution which I do not compromise. I represent a people and before I joined the race, they asked me to run. And I feel I am qualified.

The party (APC) zoned this position to the North-East deliberately because of the situation that we have found ourselves. The insurgency has inflicted a N9.2 trillion destruction on the zone. We in Borno are at the epicenter of the insurgency. Right now, you can say that Borno is a failed state. I cannot comfortably drive to my local government area; there is no light no mobile network due to the destruction caused by insurgents, schools are closed in Gwoza that had over ten secondary schools. It is not about what you can get from the Office of the Senate President but what you can do with it. I wear the shoe and I know where it pinches.

The President emerged through a democratic process of election. The election was zoned but open. Despite that, Rochas Okorocha, [Rabiu Musa] Kwankwaso, Atiku [Abubakar] contested but no one was disciplined. Even when he was to come back for a second term, others showed interest but later dropped out of the race for a consensus candidate. If the consensus fails, you choose either direct or indirect process. The chairmanship was contested. So, that of the Senate cannot be an exception.

I hope that wisdom would prevail so that the right thing would be done. It is the 109 of us that would vote on that day. I have a 9-point agenda and I am serious about implementing all of those plans.

With the position of your party, the APC, how sure are you about winning the election?

I am assuring you that I am in this contest and from the look is things, insha Allah, I will win. I have gone through such contest before. Once you depend and trust God, do your campaign to the people who would be voting, God will help you and give it to you. If God doesn’t give me this, it means He, who is the giver, would give me something better because God does not ignore the prayers of his servant. I believe in what I hear and see. As I go to the mosque to pray, some people wish me well and urge me to stand in and I would become the Senate President. The APC cannot impose a candidate for the Senate President on lawmakers.

The Senate is supposed to be a stabilising part of government and so, it is unconstitutional for outsiders to impose a Senate President on Senators. Even the party supremacy they are talking about in Article 2 of the APC constitution says: ‘subject to the provision of the Nigerian Constitution, the APC would…’ The Constitution is very clear on the emergence of the leader. Besides, there is no provision for imposition.

A similar situation played out in 2015 when someone took a different position from that of the party and we saw all that happened within the last four years. Are you not worried that you could be served the same treatment?

These are two different scenarios. That was 2015 and this is 2019. The personalities involved then was [Bukola] Saraki, and I am Ali Ndume. Everybody knows the support of Ndume in terms of the support for this government. So, I don't see that happening.

I took the bullet for this government. It is a personal thing for me. I have been with the president, following his principles and ideologies since 2002 when we formed the TBO [The Buhari Organisation].

Also, there was more confusion in 2015 than today where you have clarity of purpose. I am in the contest and on that day, decision would be taken.