Senator Ali Ndume, representing Borno South, has urged President Bola Tinubu to remove what he described as “kakistocrats” from his administration, warning that their continued influence could undermine the government and worsen its public image.
Ndume made the call while reacting to the composition of the All Progressives Congress (APC) 2027 Presidential Campaign Council, saying his primary concern was not the council itself but the competence of some officials surrounding the President.
“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,” Ndume said.
The senator cited recent controversies involving a government agency and the suspension of a permanent secretary in the Presidency as examples of what he described as weaknesses within the administration.
According to him, President Tinubu deserves credit for allowing investigations into alleged irregularities to proceed, but he argued that the President needs to take more decisive action to prevent similar controversies.
“If he had capable hands, all this mess and embarrassment wouldn’t be happening. He is still not taking the appropriate action on it,” he said.
On the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Ndume questioned the decision to make President Tinubu its chairman, arguing that the party leadership should take responsibility for campaigning for its presidential candidate and presenting the administration’s achievements to Nigerians.
“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.
Ndume also suggested that President Tinubu might not have been fully involved in the process that produced the campaign council, pointing to the controversy that followed its announcement.
“From what happened, you can see that even the President was not fully aware. Why would there be complaints?” he asked.
The lawmaker stressed that his criticism was not motivated by personal or partisan considerations, but by his concern about the direction of the country and the effectiveness of the administration.
Ndume, however, defended some of the Tinubu administration’s economic reforms, particularly the removal of the petrol subsidy, which he described as necessary despite the hardship it has caused Nigerians.
He said many Nigerians supported the removal of the subsidy but are now struggling with increased living costs and other economic pressures.
“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,” he said.
The senator warned that prolonged economic hardship could become a major challenge for the APC ahead of the 2027 elections, particularly if Nigerians do not begin to see tangible improvements in their living conditions.
He also criticised some presidential aides for, in his view, worsening the administration’s public image by responding to critics with personal attacks instead of addressing the issues they raise.
“When anybody makes a statement, the President’s spokespersons rush on TV to insult the person and call them names. That is not it,” Ndume said.
He advised presidential spokespersons to engage critics based on the substance of their arguments, urging them to respond point by point and concentrate on government policies, ideas and the issues affecting Nigerians rather than resorting to name-calling.