Senate Chief Whip Ali Ndume justified the recital of President Bola Tinubu’s campaign song at the National Assembly’s hallowed chamber during the introduction of the 2024 budget on Friday.
The MPs stood up earlier in the week as a sign of respect, but the band was heard playing Tinubu’s campaign song from when he was a presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
While the politicians have been chastised, Ndume, who represents Borno South, believes the move is justified. He claimed that under the tenure of previous President Muhammadu Buhari, parliamentarians recited the ‘Sai Baba’ slogan.
“It is not a crime. Honestly, it is not a big deal. In this country, we pick on trivial things,” he said on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
“When a President walks in, there are times that some members take advantage of that situation to even challenge the President directly.
“When Buhari came some time back, this same thing was done – ‘Sai Baba’ (was chanted). So why should Tinubu’s case be a big deal?”
‘Not In Charge’
During the show, the Borno lawmaker also spoke on the administration of former President Buhari.
He claimed that, unlike Tinubu, Buhari was not in charge of his government.
“The President here is in charge. He takes charge, unlike our former President. That President will just give you an assignment, he will not look over you,” he said.
“That is where the problem is and he (Buhari) knows that. That was the mistake President Buhari made. He ended up confessing these days that he had more kleptocrats in his government that people that had more interest at heart.”