Former Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State has described the recent endorsement of the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi, by former President Olusegun Obasanjo as “a big mistake.”
Lamido said this while welcoming a former deputy governor of the state, Ahmad Mahmoud, to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Ahmad, a former chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was the deputy governor of Jigawa between 2007 to 2015 when Lamido governed the state.
Addressing journalists at Bamaina, his country home in Birnin Kudu Local Government Area of Jigawa, Lamido, who served as a minister under Obasanjo, said the former president failed to understand that the PDP made him who he is.
“Obasanjo talks because he is a former president. the PDP made him and he is demeaning the PDP. Obasanjo is my boss, and I believe in him, but he is human; he can make mistakes and he made a big mistake for him to endorse a party outside his party which made him what he is, getting the relevance, the image, he has globally.”
“No matter the circumstances, whether power rotation or what, people are dishonest, when it comes to a sense of justice and fairness. When he was in office, he tried for the third term. Is that fair, is that justice? It’s not. I respect him but we have to stand by our tradition, the history of our political party, our philosophy, and PDP made Nigeria what it’s today.
“He is endorsing Peter Obi because he is either angry because of Atiku Abubakar and Bola Tinubu, both men are strong characters and personalities; so, the fear of these very strong men is what is haunting him; that is all.
“The monopoly he has in Nigeria space will not have it. The fear of sharing that space with somebody is what is bringing all these problems for him. What he just said about Peter Obi is just an opinion.
“I have my own beliefs and convictions which I and other like-minded people promote and those of us who share these beliefs and aspirations came together and formed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and PDP formed a government in Nigeria.
“Our people fail to understand that when a party honours you, dignified you; made you who you are, and that is why you are talking. To me, whether it’s Obasanjo or any other person he is talking about because he is a former president, under the PDP.
“The PDP invented him, and honoured, and dignified him and we look at him as a leader, who is inspiring, and motivating and can chart a new course for Nigeria. Those who worked with him in the last 25 years can trust him and respect him. That is his legacy in life. So, it’s very sad that a man that was made by PDP demeaned PDP. It’s sad because what is the lesson he is teaching to the younger generation. No matter how angry we are, we cannot deny history,” Lamido said.
