TheCable

Ali Ndume, an All Progressives Congress (APC) senator, says President Muhammadu Buhari enjoys goodwill among many Nigerians.

Dismissing reports that the current administration has lived below expectation, Ndume told critics of the president that the Nigerian leader is still popular.

Ndume said Nigeria is lucky to have Buhari as president, adding that the president is doing all within his powers to pull the country out of the “quagmire” it found itself.

The lawmaker spoke in an interview with NAN.

“If you go to Wuse Market and start criticising this government, I don’t think you will come back alive,” he said.

“For instance, Charly Boy, convener of ‘Our Mumu Don Do’ carried his agitation too far. He went to Wuse Market and the masses chased him away.”

Charles Oputa, entertainer better known as Charly Boy was assaulted at the Wuse market in Abuja during the #ResumeorResign campaign.

Civil rights activists had asked Buhari who was treating an undisclosed ailment in London to either resume or relinquish his position.

Ndume also urged the media to stay off reports capable of causing tension in the country.

He said that the government was working hard to deliver on its promises and should be commended and not condemned.

The lawmaker said that while he was not making excuses for the party, efforts at repositioning the country were being intensified.

“The APC has problems like every other party and particularly because it is a combination of many parties that came together to wrestle power from PDP,” he said.

“I am not using that as an excuse, but the people criticising APC are the people that destroyed Nigeria, abused and vandalised Nigeria for 16 years.

“When the previous government came into power, yes, there was armed robbery problem but it was minimal.

“There was no kidnapping, Boko Haram and no farmers-herders clash. Even, communal clashes then were not frequent.

“Buhari said he will address three things – insecurity, infrastructural decay and corruption.
While we will not say we have gotten there yet, we are working hard.

“Some of the challenges faced by this government are pure criminality and we should not politicise the issue by associating it with the APC.”