The All Progressives Congress (APC) says the inability of the Chief Whip of the Senate, Mohammed Ali Ndume, to access President Bola Tinubu cannot warrant or justify his declaration that the president had been “caged”.

Ndume, who represents Borno South at the Senate, recently lamented the inability to access Tinubu, saying the president shut his doors on some ministers and members of the National Assembly.

The senator, while saying that securing financial autonomy for Local Government Areas was the greatest achievement of Tinubu since he assumed office in 2023, added that the president was unaware of existential challenges in the country.

Reacting via a statement on Saturday, July 13, 2024, the APC, in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, said Ndume was yet to explain the use to which he had put access in seeking solutions to concerns that he might have.

Morka said it was understandable if the senator felt frustrated by his suggested inability to access the president, adding: “But this does not warrant or justify his outlandish declaration that the President had been caged in some way or ensconced from the reality of conditions in the country.

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“Ndume’s heedless comments smack of an indulgent sense of entitlement to see the President on a whim. The President is busy doing the job Nigerians elected him for.

“He is the head of government, of which there are many critical parts equipped with power to process and deal with a wide range of simple to complex social, economic, political or security challenges.

“The President’s time is required to be used judiciously in attending to important matters of state.”

The APC spokesman further recalled that on July 4, Tinubu inaugurated the Presidential Economic Coordination Council (PECC) and launched the Economic Stabilisation Programme.

According to him, the programmes are to ensure food security, improved power supply, enhanced social welfare, healthcare, increased energy production and general economic transformation.

Morka said President Tinubu was earlier in an important meeting with leaders of the Organised Labour on the issue of the new minimum wage.

He, therefore, stressed that Tinubu meets and interacts regularly with citizens, officials, and guests from all walks of life, as his schedule permits.

The Star