“Success is not by our thinking, our wish, our personal opinion, or selfish aggrandisement. It is destined and accompanied by good attitudes of honesty, gratitude, commitment, perseverance, sacrifice, endurance, selflessness, and determination. – Sule Lamido
When elections are approaching, political activities hasten. There has been speculation that Sule Lamido of Jigawa state will defect from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to a new party. It appears the speculators based their thinking on PDP’s unexpected devastating defeat in the 2023 general elections. However, many people see the defeat as an outcome of a referendum on the PDP’s mistakes and adamant or foolish behaviour of an ordinary Nigerian, rather than a rejection verdict on the PDP, thus the party is expected to bounce back.
This is expected to happen with the help of people like Sule Lamido and other party stalwarts. Nonetheless, with speculation rife, it’s pertinent to ask, will Sule Lamido lead a revolt to ditch the PDP and form a new party or join the Social Democratic Party (SDP) as Malam Nasir El-Rufai calls for?
Knowing Lamido’s styles of leadership and political antecedents, notably, his being an ardent disciple of late Mallam Aminu Kano one may without mincing words say that Lamido will not quit PDP he helped to give birth to; nurtured and played a very prominent role in.
The above assertion is based on the fact that Lamido does not have a history of inconsistencies in his political career, and he doesn’t play to the gallery.
Furthermore, Lamido, being a founding father of the PDD with well-established connections is not likely going to ditch the PDP.
If Lamido wanted to quit the PDP, he would have done so with the G7 governors who defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2014/2015. Lamido would have been the most celebrated ‘defectors’ the APC would flaunt.
Some people have mistakenly interpreted the recent news of the former Kaduna state governor Nasir El-Rufai defecting from APC to SDP, calling on bigwigs, though he dares not mention Lamido in his invitation because it’s a no area for Lamido. But Lamido has dispelled the rumours via the interview he granted the BBC Hausa Service.
Lamido asserted, “I have no intention to leave the party. We dey kampe for PDP; we dey shelele for PDP. PDP has honoured and dignified me, and I am not leaving it for tenants. I am from a home background while others are from mere house backgrounds. We are well-groomed right from our homes, and we will not leave the party for anyone, especially for anger. This is not a time for a blame game; the PDP should all accept that they made mistakes and find ways to correct them in the future.”
What people should best expect from Lamido is rebuilding, reorganising, re-energising, and remodelling the PDP into a strong opposition party for the ruling APC. For instance, Lamido is experienced in politicking and governance; he will for sure lead other PDP founding fathers and party faithful to rebrand the party. Those instrumental in destabilising the PDP may soon become inactive in the party because they do not wish the party well.
Lamido has assured his teeming supporters and stakeholders that he has no plans to quit the PDP, or allow intruders and interlopers to take over the house they have laboured to build. The question is, what should be done to reengineer a new beginning for the PDP?
Many of PDP’s followers trust that Sule Lamido will be one of the like-minded individuals that will lead the way to restore the PDP’s lost glory. Lamido will remain in the PDP. He had the opportunity to defect, but he did not because he believes that defection is not the best way to develop democracy.
Lamido is among the nine people (G9) who formed the PDP in 1998 along with Senator Iyorchia Ayu, Professor Jerry Gana, the late Dr. Alex Ekwueme, the late Mallam Adamu Ciroma, the late Chief Solomon Lar, the late Chief Bola Ige, the late Senator Ella, and the late Alhaji Abubakar Rimi. They confronted the late head of state, General Sani Abacha, on the need to vacate office for democracy to prosper.
Lamido and Rimi were picked and locked up in DSS cells, Rimi in Ilorin and Lamido in Maiduguri. They were only released after the sudden demise of Abacha. Lamido, Jerry Gana, and Iyorchia Ayu are the lone PDP founding fathers still alive and on the landscape in politics and PDP.
Lamido has been consistent in PDP. He displays his sagacity in full force. He also deployed his energy and political skills in campaigning for PDP candidates from the top to the bottom from 1999 to date.
Lamido’s almost five decades of experience in the rough terrain of Nigeria’s politics is being brought to bear in this election cycle. He is often in the news for a combination of reasons, including his imposing physical presence, his simple style of doing things, and his solid records of commitment, loyalty, achievements, consistency, and sacrifice, etc., to PDP since its creation in 1998 to date.
Lamido is one of the most experienced politicians in Nigeria and arguably the most successful governor in Nigeria since 1999. He was a unionist (PRP national youth leader), SDP national secretary, the party that made the late Chief MKO Abiola to win 1992 annulled presidential election, a parliamentarian, and diplomat (minister). His contributions have reunited and reawakened Nigeria, and as far as politics is concerned, Lamido cannot be shoved aside.
Lamido is always frank, aligning with the interest of the common man. He doesn’t succumb to sentiment, bigotry or nepotism. He is a nationalist. May Allah continue to prolong and preserve your life’s span. Lamido will keep working for Nigeria’s unity, peace, and prosperity.
Adamu writes from Kafin-Hausa, Jigawa state.