A senior lawmaker, Senator Ali Ndume (Borno South), has taken a critical look at President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s governing architecture, arguing that the President is being poorly served by advisers who lack political depth, grassroots reach and a firm grasp of national realities.
Speaking during a televised interview on Wednesday, Ndume said there was palpable disquiet across the North, cautioning that dismissing such sentiments would be a strategic miscalculation with potential electoral consequences. According to him, public frustration may be muted for now, but it could ultimately find expression at the ballot box if left unaddressed.
Ndume, however, struck a conciliatory note, insisting that the situation remains salvageable. He said the President still has the capacity to recalibrate and reconnect, provided decisive steps are taken. “The President can turn things around,” he noted, signalling confidence in Tinubu’s political instincts if properly supported.
The senator disclosed that northern leaders had previously sought constructive engagement with the President, recalling meetings involving respected elders from the region. He said Tinubu appeared receptive at the time and convened key northern appointees for what he described as productive discussions. Those engagements, Ndume added, raised expectations of sustained dialogue that ultimately failed to materialise.
While distancing the President from direct responsibility, Ndume pointed an accusing finger at the quality of advice filtering into the Presidency. In his assessment, Tinubu’s current predicament is less about intent and more about the competence and outlook of those closest to him.
Drawing a contrast with Tinubu’s tenure as Lagos State governor, Ndume said the President once thrived on the strength of a robust advisory team willing to offer frank counsel. He lamented that many of those tested hands have since been marginalised, replaced by individuals he described as politically insulated and disconnected from everyday Nigerians.
The lawmaker further criticised what he termed an elitist bubble around the Presidency, arguing that some aides operate within narrow social and geographic confines, detached from the broader national pulse. Such insulation, he warned, undermines effective governance and weakens the administration’s political antenna.
Ndume concluded with a clear warning: unless the growing concerns, particularly in the North, are confronted with sincerity and strategic engagement, public dissatisfaction could harden and translate into significant political costs. In his view, leadership requires not just authority, but advisers grounded in politics, truth-telling and the lived realities of the people.
