Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Policy Communication, on Sunday raised concerns over the political allegiance of the Senator representing Borno South Senatorial District, Ali Ndume.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politic Today on Sunday, Bwala alleged that the lawmaker’s “Spirit and soul” are no longer with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

This was as he called on the leadership of the APC, particularly the party’s National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, to be vigilant about Ndume’s recent moves and public statements.

The former spokesperson for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, compared Ndume’s current political positioning to that of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, who recently made an open break from the APC.

He, however, said that such open declarations earn more respect than operating as an insider while being aligned with the opposition.

“Let me tell you today, and I want everybody to hear, especially the chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Abdullahi Ganduje. Senator Ali Ndume’s spirit and soul are with the coalition; it is his body that is in APC. He is already going,” Bwala declared.

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“It is better the way El-Rufai did: just say I am leaving. You’d give more honour and credit to El-Rufai that he didn’t feel he could stay and be a snitch,” Bwala added.

His comments follow a string of political developments, including Ndume’s open criticism of President Tinubu’s declaration of emergency rule in Rivers State, where the senator urged the president to focus instead on Nigeria’s worsening security and economic crises.

This is coming at a time when opposition forces appear to be strengthening their ranks, with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar leading high-profile consultations.

Just before Bwala’s statement, Atiku, along with other opposition heavyweights including former Kaduna governor El-Rufai and ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, met in Kaduna fuelling speculations of deepening alliances.

The opposition coalition made up of Atiku, Labour Party’s Peter Obi, El-Rufai, and other key players aims to unseat Tinubu in the 2027 general elections, riding on the back of rising economic hardship and popular discontent over the administration’s handling of the economy.

New Telegraph recall that in the 2023 presidential elections, Atiku and Obi combined got 12 million votes, over four million more than Tinubu’s declared tally by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Meanwhile, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) is increasingly emerging as a unifying platform for politicians frustrated by internal crises in the APC, PDP, and Labour Party, with reports suggesting that both Atiku and Obi may be considering shifting their political base to the SDP — though neither has made such intentions public.

The nation’s political landscape continues to heat up as new alliances form and the 2027 race begins to take shape.