Ali Ndume, the senator for Nigeria’s Borno South district, has explained that he declines to wear President Bola Tinubu’s signature crested cap because he considers public displays of loyalty insincere when they are not matched by private conduct.
Speaking on Arise Television’s “Prime Time” programme on Monday, Ndume said political hypocrisy had become widespread, with many leaders putting personal ambitions ahead of their party’s collective interests.
APC’s internal challenges
- Ndume said the governing All Progressives Congress, or APC, faced more serious difficulties from within its own ranks than from external political opponents.
- He described the opposition as resilient, formidable and outspoken, but argued that opposition parties were not the APC’s principal threat.
- The senator said party members responsible for promoting the APC’s political agenda were instead concentrating excessively on their own interests.
“It is not that I dislike Tinubu’s crested cap,” Ndume said. “You do not need to pretend that you like someone. Why wear the cap during the day and then trample on it at night?”
He said many politicians behaved in that way, adding that genuine support should come from personal conviction rather than symbolic gestures.
Ndume compared the party to a product with ineffective marketers, saying those expected to sell its message were not acting honestly. “We have a product, but the marketers are not sincere,” he said. “The people meant to market our product are too busy looking after themselves instead of promoting it.”
