Senator Representing Borno South in the Senate, Ali Ndume has apologised to his party, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Ndume, however, said he stand by his comments that led to his removal as the Chief Whip of the Senate.
Ndume had earlier criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of being held in captive by forces in the Presidential Villa, adding that the President was running a solo government despite the hunger across the country.
He further alleged in an interview that Tinubu had been fenced off and caged by certain forces and expressed concerns over the lack of appreciable action by Tinubu in tackling poverty, insecurity, hunger, and other pressing issues.
The criticism led to his removal from his position as a principal officer in the National Assembly and his committee which was considered as a juicy one.
But speaking with newsmen Tuesday in Abuja, shortly after a closed-door meeting that lasted for about two hours at the APC National secretariat, the controversial Senator said he was invited by the by party to discuss his removal as a principal officer of the Senate.
He said whatever he said about the government was out of patriotism.
Ndume said: “Yesterday I was invited by the party and here I am to discuss family matters. Actually the national chairman is not just a national chairman to me but father.
“With what has happened Wich you are all aware, it is not surprising that I am invited to hear my own side and we had family discussions and I actually accepted the mistake of not talking to the party as a last point and I promised the party that all my observations as a senior member of the family should have terminated or ended with the party.
“That is something that moving forward but whatever I said or whatever I did was out of patriotism and those issues maybe said strong but they are true but then I should have talked to the party as the last bus stop.”
When asked about his membership of APC, the Senator said: “I have not been expelled, even the party did not say we don’t want you here, because he is my father, the party is my father, the only thing the party said is that look if you don’t want this house you can go to any house. Where will I go? This is my house.”
He was also asked whether he will apologise to the President and the Senate, Ndume said: “The President and the Senate has nothing to do with this, the President did not take offence, I didn’t insult the President, I didn’t say anything against the party but I left the party out of reaching on issues and so, please I think that is all I can say.”
While confirming Ndume’s apology to the party, the National Chairman, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, said: “We are quite satisfied with his apology, like he said we invited him and you know the party is the father of everybody as a party, we are free to invite legislators, we are free to invite members of the executive, and we are even free to invite all the appointed party members in the government.
“So, it is a family issue we need to resolve it and we are writing to the National Assembly conveying what has transpired between senator Ndume and the party and you know he apologized to the party and we convey the same issue to the National Assembly, when we do that we hope they can review their position.”
