Former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido has come under fire after publicly declaring that he would boycott Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) meetings unless certain party members, including Minister of Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike and former Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom, are expelled. Lamido accused these leaders of betraying the party and working against its interests during the 2023 elections.
However, Lamido’s outing has sparked a reaction from the group known as Democracy Vanguard (DeVan). In a statement jointly signed by its President Bulus Iliya and the Secretary Alfred Yakubu, the group took a swipe at the former Jigawa governor, accusing him of being a serial traitor who has betrayed PDP many times in the past on ethnic grounds, particularly in 2015 and 2023 when he took sides with presidential candidates, simply because they hailed from his section of the country.
The statement reads:
“We read a news report in which former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido was quoted as declaring that he will not attend Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) meetings unless the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and former Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, among others, are expelled from PDP.
Lamido accused Wike and Ortom of betraying the PDP and said they should have been expelled from the party, claiming that the duo worked against PDP interests in the 2023 elections.
“It is both disappointing and disgraceful that a man with a well-documented history of betrayals, hypocrisy, and personal misconduct would seek to lecture others on loyalty and party fidelity.
“Sule Lamido has, time and again, demonstrated that he is a serial betrayer of political trust. His own confessions and actions such as openly working against the PDP’s interests in the 2015 presidential election by campaigning for Muhammadu Buhari, simply because the latter is a fellow Fulani man like him, are telling.
“Lamido teamed up with others to undermine his own party, PDP, and its candidate, President Goodluck Jonathan, without an iota of conscience regarding the consequences of such a misconduct. It was a glaring case of his lack of integrity.
“Lamido himself has branded himself as a habitual betrayer. One instance was in 2014 when he confessed, “I betrayed Kwankwaso, Amaechi, others” (see Premium Times, February 24, 2015). He admitted on that occasion that he had betrayed his fellow PDP governors, who later decamped to the All Progressives Congress in November 2013. The five governors were Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi; Kwara State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed; Sokoto State Governor Aliyu Wamakko; Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwanso; and Governor of Adamawa State, Murtala Nyako.
“Recently, a former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, narrated how he worked with Lamido against the second-term ambition of President Goodluck Jonathan. Amaechi was speaking at Lamido’s book launch. That revelation by Amaechi confirmed the true character of Sule Lamido as a fair-weather friend who abandons allies when it suits his political convenience.
“Lamido is a highly tribalistic character who views Nigeria only through sectarian lenses. He is indeed one of those fanning embers of disunity in this country and making its genuine cohesion a mirage. In 2023, the former Jigawa governor displayed his clannish and ethnic tendencies once more when he and a few other elements in PDP, despite knowing fully well that after the eight years of the country’s presidency in the North under Buhari, the seat was to rotate to the South, conspired and insisted that another Fulani man, Atiku Abubakar should take over from Buhari. That was Lamido once again violating the power rotation formula of the PDP to serve his selfish and parochial interest, as he has always done.
“Lamido’s attempt to cast aspersions on current PDP leaders like their Excellencies Wike and Ortom who have been steadfast in their support and contributions to the party, is not only hypocritical but also reckless. These leaders have demonstrated genuine commitment to PDP’s growth and stability, unlike Lamido himself, who has long since abandoned the party and aligned with the ruling APC. His current flirtation with the APC is a clear confirmation of his opportunistic nature, not a principled stand.
“It is also important to highlight that Lamido’s credibility is further eroded by his own record of corruption. He is the only former governor prosecuted on corruption charges involving his family members (two sons), with EFCC investigations revealing the misappropriation of over N1 billion. Such a man, who has faced criminal charges, lacks the moral standing to lecture others on integrity and loyalty.
“Muazu Babangida Aliyu, former governor of Niger State boastfully said they worked against Jonathan in 2015 because of the interest of the North but Sule Lamido has no issues with him being a Board of Trustees member of the PDP. He however has issues with Nyesom Wike and Samuel Ortom for standing by the truth and for justice that it was the turn of the South to produce the President of the country in 2023.
“Lamido should know that no one needs him in the PDP Board of Trustees. The BOT will continue to exist and perform its very important role in the party without him.
“In light of these facts, we call on all members and supporters of PDP to dismiss Lamido’s mealymouthed and divisive utterances. His actions and words are a distraction from the genuine efforts to rebuild and strengthen PDP,” the group concluded
