Senator Ali Ndume has issued a blunt warning to President Bola Tinubu, saying growing anger in northern Nigeria could carry serious electoral consequences if it is ignored. The Borno South lawmaker argues that the problem is not the president himself, but the people closest to him — advisers he says lack political depth, grassroots reach and a national outlook.
Ndume spoke during an interview on ARISE Television’s Prime Time, where he described what he called widespread “grumbling” across the North. According to him, anyone who claims the region is calm is not being honest. He warned that public frustration may not always be loud, but it will show clearly when voters cast their ballots.
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The senator said the situation is not beyond repair. In his view, Tinubu still has the opportunity to turn things around, but only if he listens to genuine political voices and reconnects with the wider country. He stressed that elections often reflect long-held feelings, not sudden anger, and that discontent ignored today usually returns as punishment at the polls.
Ndume revealed that northern leaders had already tried to engage the president constructively. He said he personally attended meetings between Tinubu and northern elders, describing the first encounter as promising. According to him, the president came prepared and invited key northern appointees, leading to what he called a productive discussion. However, that engagement did not continue.
“He promised that it would continue, but it never happened,” Ndume said, suggesting that momentum was lost soon after the initial talks.
While distancing Tinubu from direct blame, the senator focused his criticism on the president’s inner circle. He argued that the calibre of advisers around Tinubu has changed since his time as Lagos State governor, when strong political minds helped him succeed.
Ndume said many of those experienced figures have since been sidelined and replaced by people he described as politically disconnected. In his words, some aides understand only a narrow, elite environment and lack real contact with ordinary Nigerians. He criticised what he sees as an insular lifestyle, claiming that some advisers spend more time between upscale neighbourhoods and foreign countries than engaging with citizens across Nigeria.
According to Ndume, effective leadership requires advisers who can challenge a president, tell him uncomfortable truths and understand how decisions are received at the grassroots. He warned that surrounding a leader with people who lack political awareness weakens governance and widens the gap between government and the people.
The senator’s remarks come at a time of rising economic pressure and social unease, particularly in northern states where insecurity and hardship remain major concerns. Ndume believes these realities are shaping public opinion and should not be underestimated.
His message to the presidency was clear: ignore the warning signs at your own risk. Unless concerns from the North are addressed through genuine engagement and better political counsel, dissatisfaction may deepen — and when election day arrives, he said, the consequences will be impossible to ignore.
