Has Senator Ali Ndume been cowed to submission and stopped from lending his voice to the cause of the masses, with his apology to the leadership of the ruling All Progressives Party (APC)?
The Borno South senator was stripped of his position as the Chief Whip of the Senate for criticising President Bola Tinubu.
In an interview with BBC Hausa Service, he alleged that President Tinubu was held captive by forces in the Presidential Villa, who were feeding him with lies and shielding him from selfless Nigerians who would tell him the truth.
Ndume's audacity to speak for the masses and criticise a government that is being run by his party had provoked the ire of the ruling APC.
In a letter signed by the National Chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Ganduje, and National Secretary, Bashir Ajibola, the party had requested the Senate President to remove Ndume as the Chief Whip for his "unguarded utterances" that were "against the federal government." He was later replaced by Senator Mohammed Monguno.
Ndume's criticisms of Tinubu's administration did not come as a surprise.
Since becoming a federal lawmaker over two decades ago, he has never shied away from publicly expressing his views, even if they offend his party and his fellow leaders.
This is why his decision to apologise to his party for speaking what he considered as the truth may have shocked many Nigerians who feared that he was cowed into submission.
Though he said he stood by his words, and had also insisted that whatever he said was due to his patriotism, he nevertheless apologised to the leadership of the party.
He promised that any time he is moved by the plight of the masses, he would first consult the party before speaking his mind publicly.
Has the courageous and fearless Ndume succumbed to intimidation? Has he been forced to subordinate patriotism and the interest of the masses to the interest of his party?
The APC leaders had promised to inform the Senate about the resolution of the issue. Will they now ask Senator Monguno to relinquish his position for Ndume to take back his former position?
The answers to these questions will emerge in the coming weeks and months.
