NDUME:I WON'T APOLOGIZE TO SENATE

Immediate past Leader of the Senate and suspended member, representing Borno South Senatorial District, Ali Ndume, has ruled out any plans to tender an unreserved apology to his colleagues in order for him to be recalled.
Ndume told newsmen after an interactive session with his constituents in Abuja at the weekend that there was no moral basis to ask him to apologise.
He said he did nothing wrong to have warranted his suspension in the first instance.
On March 29, he was hurriedly handed six months suspension over claims that he breached Senate Rules when he drew the attention of the Red Chamber to an allegation of purchase of an exotic car for the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, with forged Customs papers, as well as the certificate forgery scandal against Senator Dino Melaye.
The senate had then blamed him for not “conducting due diligence” before bringing the matter to the floor of the upper legislative chamber.
Ndume, who has been in the National Assembly since 2003, however, added that he was not averse to tendering apology where there was need to do so.
“For now, there is nothing for me to apologise for,” he said.
He insisted that he did not offend the Standing Rules of the Senate.
The leadership of the Senate led by Saraki, was reported last week to have reached out to Ndume to apologise to pave the way for his recall.
Ndume said: “The move for apology was made but I did not do anything to warrant an apology. I have no problem with apology but you have to apologise for something you did. The issues I raised were put to rest after I raised them. The issue of importation of car was put to rest. The certificate issue was also put to rest. It was because I raised the issues. Perhaps, if I did not raise them, the issues may have lingered. I did not do any thing so there is no basis for me to tender any apology.”
Ndume further stated that the resolution to investigate the issues he raised was not his, rather, that of the senate.
“The whole thing will come and go. It will pass away. It is part of the challenge a politician goes through. My challenge in the senate now is temporary. It should not stop me from doing what I have been doing for my constituents. It is very temporary.
“I take my suspension in good faith. It will pass away. I am lucky to be in the senate. Right now I am going through industrial attachment because one day I will leave the senate. I don’t expect to die in the senate,” he added.
Ndume also appealed to the Federal Government not to yield to pressure to evict Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from their Area One Camp in Abuja. He said he would take up the planned eviction of IDPs from their Area One Camp with the Minister of Interior. According to him, IDPs are not sent packing without providing them a place of abode.
He also said there were 12 IDP camps scattered in Abuja, while the current number of inmates stood at over 20,000.
He asked the government to take up the issue of security at the camps, especially at the Area One axis.