Senator Sunday Karimi (Kogi West) on Tuesday took a swipe at Senator Ali Ndume (Borno South), over the latter’s smattering remarks about President Bola Tinubu and those he described as the President’s “attack dogs”.
Ndume, who appeared as a guest of Arise TV programme “Prime Time” show, criticised what he termed illegality and excesses of government under Tinubu’s leadership.
He warned that Nigeria is standing on the precipice with three budgets running concurrently, huge government borrowing often without the approval of the National Assembly and what he described as gross infraction on the federal character provisions of the Nigerian Constitution with more than 70 percent of Tinubu’s appointees allegedly coming from just the South West.
He also said security is being ignored with the wave of killings of dozens in Plateau State in the aftermath of the tragical occurrences in Edo State and the resurgence of the Boko Haram and ISWAP in his home state, Borno.
“As a Nigerian, I have the right to voice this out, but Tinubu’s attack dogs will attack me and not the message. It is not personal,” he said.
Reacting, Karimi who like Ndume is a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Senate caucus, said rather than playing to the gallery and criticising government, Senator Ndume, as a leader of his people, should go back, liaise with his people on solving Boko Haram problems.
He noted that the country has lost a lot of soldiers and trillions of Naira fighting insurgents in Ndume’s Senatorial District in the last decades.
“In fact I lost one of the young officers, a captain in the Army from my Senatorial District serving in his community three weeks ago.
“Lots of young Nigerians had lost their lives fighting to defend the territorial integrity of our country.
“Over 50 percent of Nigeria’s earnings in the last few years are being expended on fighting insurgency.
“Rather than playing to the gallery and criticising government, Senator Ndume, as a leader of his people, should go back, liaise with his people on solving Boko Haram problems. Every security-related issue has a local solution,” Karimi said.
