•Senator Ndume and Governor Fubara
Former Senate Majority Whip, Senator Ali Ndume, has appealed to the executive and legislative arms of government in Rivers State to prevent a resurgence of political crisis in the state.
Speaking on the sidelines of the just-concluded 2nd 2025 ECOWAS Parliamentary Seminar in Port Harcourt, themed “Harnessing Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Parliamentary Efficiency, Ethical Governance and Development in the ECOWAS Region”, Ndume urged the Rivers House of Assembly and Governor Siminalayi Fubara to work in unity for the benefit of the people.
Ndume said, “They have to work together. Democracy exists on three arms, independent but independent. That is the executive, the judiciary, and the legislature. They have to exist as an institution to make democracy work.
“If you remove the legislature from democracy, what do you have? You don’t have democracy, and at the same time, you can’t have democracy without the executive.
“So, also you can’t have democracy without justice, and that is the judiciary. They are supposed to work independently to have government of the people for the people and by the people.”
Ndume commended Fubara for maintaining a peaceful disposition throughout the period of the emergency rule, explaining that he demonstrated maturity in leadership.
He said, “It takes exceptional maturity as a leader to say that let the past be past and let’s move forward, and that is what a leader is supposed to do. And I hope that everybody, including you, every Nigerian, will now concentrate on making sure that democracy is sustained. “
Ndume, who represents Borno South Senatorial District in the National Assembly, said Rivers was important to the country and should not be allowed to snowball into crisis.
He said, “Now with this kind of mix-up and running government discretionary and personalising government or even privatising it, that is the main thing that is setting Nigeria back.
“Nigeria has everything! What Rivers alone has about 15 countries in Africa put together don’t have.
“The God-given natural resources to Rivers people, Rivers alone is more than 20 countries in Africa out of the 54, yet most of you are suffering, or all of us are suffering.”
