Ali Ndume

Senator Ali Ndume has hinted at the possibility of leaving the All Progressives Congress (APC), citing dissatisfaction with President Bola Tinubu’s leadership and ongoing governance issues.

Speaking on Arise TV yesterday, the Borno South lawmaker confirmed attending opposition coalition meetings aimed at unseating Tinubu in 2027. While expressing hope that Tinubu could still deliver, he warned that failure could prompt his defection.

“I’m aware of the opposition coalition. I went to several of their meetings,” he said. “I still believe this president can fix things, but failure might cause me to move. The overloaded ship will sink.”

Ndume likened the APC to a sinking vessel, warning that excessive political manoeuvring, including recent defections, could destabilise the party. “If you overload the ship, it will capsize, and if it capsizes, you lose everybody,” he said.

He also criticised what he called an “indirect stick-and-carrot” approach to politics, describing recent defections to the APC as lacking principle. “Most people are not joining based on ideology,” he noted.

Despite his concerns, Ndume added, “I feel when you build a house and it’s leaking, you don’t leave the house—you stay to fix it.”