Senator Ali Ndume, who represents Borno South in the National Assembly, has warned that rising dissatisfaction across Northern Nigeria could have serious electoral consequences if left unaddressed, saying the “grumbling” in the region is real and growing.
Ndume issued the warning on Wednesday during an interview on ARISE Television’s Prime Time, where he also criticised President Bola Tinubu’s inner circle, accusing key advisers of lacking political depth and grassroots connection.
According to the senator, ignoring the prevailing mood in the North could backfire at the polls, even as he expressed confidence that the situation is still salvageable.
“Anybody that tells you that the North is not grumbling now is not telling the truth,” Ndume said. “If nothing is done about it, it will be loud in their votes. The good thing is that the President can still turn things around.”
Ndume disclosed that Northern leaders had made deliberate efforts to engage President Tinubu constructively, noting that he personally participated in meetings between the President and northern elders.
“In the North, elders have been reaching out. I was part of the first and the last meetings with Mr President when northern elders went to him,” he said. “He was prepared. He brought all the critical appointees from the North, and we had a wonderful session.”
However, the lawmaker said the engagement process stalled despite assurances from the President that consultations would continue.
“He promised that it would continue, but it never happened,” Ndume added.
While absolving President Tinubu of direct blame, Ndume argued that the administration’s challenges stem largely from the calibre of people advising him, insisting that the President is being poorly served.
“What I am suspecting is that the President is not the problem. It is the people around the President that are the problem,” he said.
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He compared Tinubu’s current leadership environment with his tenure as governor of Lagos State, which he described as a period marked by strong, competent advisers.
“When he was governor of Lagos, the President had good people around him. That was why he succeeded,” Ndume said. “Most of those good people are no longer there. They have been sidelined.”
Ndume also took a swipe at some presidential aides, accusing them of elitist isolation and a narrow worldview that disconnects them from the realities of most Nigerians.
“He just picked people that don’t know anybody,” he said. “They only know Ikoyi and Victoria Island. From there, they fly to London or America where their families live. They are not even full Nigerians.”
He warned that unless the concerns being raised, particularly in the North, are addressed urgently, the dissatisfaction could deepen and manifest forcefully at the ballot box in future elections.
The senator’s comments add to a growing chorus of voices within the ruling All Progressives Congress raising concerns about public sentiment, regional inclusion, and the political cost of perceived disconnect between the presidency and the grassroots.
