In a blistering interview aired Saturday on Arise TV, former Jigawa State Governor and founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Sule Lamido, declared his willingness to join any political movement—regardless of its structure or identity—that is committed to removing the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which he described as incompetent, divisive, and dangerously authoritarian.
“I am part of any arrangement, no matter the nomenclature or name, to remove the current government of incompetency, of insecurity, or of dividing the Nigerian family between North and South,” Lamido said.
He emphasized that he would support “any chemistry, any configuration” aimed at ending what he called the Tinubu administration’s “autopilot” leadership.
Lamido accused the Tinubu-led administration of using state power to oppress the opposition and of deepening regional and ethnic divides in Nigeria.
“Today in Nigeria, we have a government that is dividing Nigerians along North and South, using institutions of the state to manipulate and coerce the opposition,” he stated.
When asked whether he was involved with the newly emerging political coalition, Alliance for Democratic Action (ADA), Lamido stopped short of endorsing the group directly but made his intentions clear: “What you see, don’t panic. I don’t panic. I walk with my eyes wide open.”
Turning to the ongoing crisis within the PDP, Lamido did not hold back his criticism of party members who, in his view, betrayed the platform that brought them to power. He singled out Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno.
“I saw a program featuring the Governor of Akwa Ibom recently, and I just pitied him. Two years ago, nobody knew him. He was honoured and dignified by the PDP and made a governor. Now he’s renouncing his own history and legacy. It’s a pity,” Lamido lamented.
He expressed frustration over what he called a loss of values and loyalty in Nigeria’s current political landscape.
On Tinubu’s June 12 Speech: ‘He’s Rewriting History’
Lamido also took aim at President Tinubu’s June 12 Democracy Day address, accusing him of exaggerating his role in the country’s pro-democracy struggle.
“I find Tinubu’s rhetoric highly entertaining—the way he dramatises his role in Nigeria’s democracy. Luckily, we are all alive. We were all there,” Lamido said, asserting that Tinubu’s activism began only after the rise of military ruler Sani Abacha, and that before then, he was a minor party figure who had even supported military rule under Babangida.
He credited other political actors for taking genuine risks during the June 12 crisis, including then Senate President Iyorchia Ayu, who was removed for defying Babangida in support of the election.
“NADECO was not about democracy—it was about opposing Abacha. Tinubu and others fled the country. We stayed and fought. I was detained. The real fighters were those who stayed. NADECO came after the fight. They inherited the product but were not part of the process,” he said.
Lamido accused the Tinubu government of politicizing national institutions and using public facilities for partisan gain.
“How do you explain holding an APC function at the Villa, a national asset? It shows how low we have sunk. Today’s government is not a Nigerian government, it is a party government,” he said.
Responding to comparisons between his political stance in 2014 and the actions of today’s defectors like Governor Eno and former Edo Governor Godwin Obaseki, Lamido insisted there was a clear difference.
“The PDP crisis in 2014 was internal. We fought for internal democracy. We did not betray the party to join APC. There was character and principle. I told governors in 2014: if you want to leave PDP, resign. Don’t take PDP’s legacy with you,” he said.
He added: “In 1983, I left the PRP for the NPP and ran for office. I resigned honorably. There was integrity. Today’s politics lacks depth, character, and honour. Some people are only known because of the office they hold. Remove the office, and they are nobody.”
Lamido dismissed suggestions that the PDP is dead, pointing out that many current APC leaders are former PDP members.
“If PDP is dead, then APC is a ghost party. Most of APC’s leadership came from PDP. Only Tinubu and Oshiomhole are true APC. The rest are PDP products,” he said.
Addressing criticism over his support for Atiku Abubakar in the 2023 election, despite growing calls for southern representation, Lamido said his support was based on party loyalty, not regional bias.
“Please don’t bring North vs. South into my politics. I believe in Nigeria. I supported PDP, not Atiku as a Northerner. In 1983, I supported Zik (Nnamdi Azikiwe). Go check my history,” he said.
Lamido concluded by stressing the urgent need to rescue Nigeria from what he called "a rudderless administration" and urged all patriotic Nigerians to unite for that cause—regardless of political label or affiliation.
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