One of the founding members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former governor of Jigawa State, Malam Sule Lamido, in this interview expresses concern over what is happening to the party which he said was formed to fight for democracy in Nigeria. He regrets that while most of those that took the risk to form the party during the military era are not around, it is a few who do not know how the party was established that are now claiming ownership. He cautioned against allowing the current division to fester, stressing the need for the leaders to unite or risk losing out completely in 2027.
What is your reaction to the planned national convention of the Nyesom Wike-backed faction of the PDP, in view of the fact that you went to court to stop the Ibadan convention?
I want to be clear. When you say this is the Wike faction, Which is the other faction? You are talking about my party the PDP. A party that Wike and Turaki had no idea how it was founded. So when you’re talking about a faction led by A or B, they have no idea how PDP was founded.
This is very important. PDP is a Nigerian ownership. PDP was founded in 1998 by political leaders and thinkers. Leaders who knew what was Nigeria from independence. Those who know Nigeria as a country, people like Adamu Chiroma, Alex Ekwueme, Solomon Lar, Bola Ige, Dr Iyorchia Ayu, Abubakar Rimi, Professor Jerry Gana. I am the youngest among them.
These are people who during Abacha, fought for democracy. All those others like NADECO came later. They have no consequence they have no effect because if you’re picking others like Solomon Lar and others. NADECO came in after June 12.
I want you to know clearly what we‘re talking about, Nigeria and Nigerian interests not people’s interest.
So, please try to disengage Nigeria from these small names, it’s very important. So that’s how PDP was founded by these people who sat down and reflected and came with a very strong party which was a kind of consensus of all the philosophies or ideologies. The UPN elements, the NPN elements. In fact all the Nigerian political activists you know who are independent, submerged into PDP in 1998. Which means, it’s neither radicalism or socialism or capitalism or liberalism. It’s about clearly a country called Nigeria which has been destined to play a role in this world.
We can only play this role, if we come together as a people and we’re country which is very well endowed by God with a strong culture, strong history, strong traditions, people that are very industrious and we as a people can make the world better if we want to.
People like NADECO was a reaction to June 12 and I’ve been saying, those who are talking about NADECO and June 12, where were they on June 11? All the south-west, were not part of June 12, all of them. I’m simply narrating history. I don’t intend to either embarrass or maybe ridicule.
The South west was not part of, PDP. Even Abiola’s victory, was not from the South-west, it was not from the Yoruba. Because the Yoruba did not support Abiola. It is in tandem and in tune with the Yoruba philosophy of Afenifere. You know, for you to be able to become anything, from the Yoruba, you must come out through Afenifere, for you to veer out and make your own way, you become an outcast. And that’s why, up till tomorrow, the North believed in Obasanjo.
Because he’s somebody who was made by Nigeria, not by Afenifere. The North believed in Abiola. Because he’s not made by Afenifere. He was made by Nigerians. They also don’t believe in Tinubu. So these three leaders, who emerged, did so on their own, on their own through other networks, outside the local tribal Afenifere.
And therefore, to be able to answer you, they are being seen as outcasts for defying the authority of Afenifere and then became what they became in life. This is my own impression about history. So they have no idea how June 12 was formed. They have no idea. They were not part of SDP. They were not there. It was us and other Nigerians. South- south, South East. North East. North West and North Central who formed SDP and gave Abiola the platform.
The same thing with Obasanjo, when he was supposed to be the PDP candidate, the Yoruba said they don’t want him and he could not get five percent in the South West.
Therefore all these people trying to diminish PDP and call it Wike faction, this faction are not being fair to our history, you are not being fair to our heritage, you are not being fair to our sacrifices, you are not being fair to us through the effort we put in getting Nigeria restored in 1999.
You are not being fair to us because all these ones are beneficiaries of PDP. Therefore if people are going to where there can be interest, to me I am more concerned about PDP.
I am not for Wike, I am for PDP. But by our actions, we have unwittingly come to a place where it is APC that is benefiting, you know the enmity, the anger, the insult the blah blah who is benefiting? APC and Tinubu.
The main issue is how to win the election I have no problem. But then the more we fight, the weaker we become.
Simple. That’s why I say, things are against us and we have come this far. Right now, through litigations, through action, the only structure on ground now is the leadership under Abdulrahman Muhammed.
If you remember, before the Ibadan Convention, I’ve been saying, look, we should be very careful how we move as a party. The so-called party should be very strategic in thinking. The term of Damagun led NWC was going to expire 9 December. If that date elapses and there is nothing in place, PDP can be prescribed because you must submit your name with INEC.
Therefore, if you don’t put anything in place and by time, the Damagun, tenure aspires on 9th December. PDP is gone. So, I say, let us put up a caretaker committee in place in the event, that nothing happens.
Now, they went to a convention, and the convention was simply skewed. It was a convention of interest, not only for the party. It was a convention of convenience for people who had no idea how PDP was formed in 1998, who now hijacked the entire party. Those who went to Ibadan, None of them were there in 1998.
In any case, the convention held. It was annulled by court. Now, look at the tragedy: Those who convened as leaders in the convention to elect that leadership in Ibadan have all left the party. The chairman of the convention in Ibadan, Fintiri, has now gone to APC. My zonal governor, who is supposed to be my own leader. Who was also at the convention also left PDP for APC, Gov Kefas left for APC’ Caleb Mutfwang. So, all the governors who sat down and worked on the Ibadan convention have now abandoned the convention.
Bala and Makinde are the only two remaining. They are there now. They have no idea where they are going. Isn’t it? So it means, because they have no stake (a mother knows the pain of childbirth. If a mother sees her own child dying , she is terribly pained. So I said, look, whatever it is, we have got our own shortcomings. We cannot be perfect. We have gone through a lot of crisis.
But the way things are now, if we don’t take time, if we don’t do something urgent, based on the Electoral Law, if we don’t meet it up, the party may soon lose everything.
So I say, fair enough. So Wike saw the lacuna, which may likely arise in the event of the tenure expiring. You put up a caretaker committee.
The Ibadan Convention has been nullified, the Caretaker committee is now the authentic leadership.
It is now the authentic legitimate and legal organ of the party. What do we do? We keep on fighting. They went to court. They lost. Went to appeal. And now, also in their own wisdom, they met and the BoT said, look, we think we should be able to apply the brakes.
Let us see whether we can reflect and then do some reconciliation. Whether you like Wike or hate him. There’s something which Wike is now controlling. He is now, kind of leading. We invite him. Okay, this is not just a party. It’s PDP.
It’s our heritage. We’ve come thus far. It’s now time for us to apply the brakes. We have abused each other, we have been fighting, let us now please embrace peace and forgive each other for the sake of PDP and Nigeria, for the sake of our heritage and history.
Let us reconstruct it and bring all other groups on board in that committee, which means we are going to have a single PDP family, even though we are fighting. Lets see what we can do, and then quickly open that convention and then elect, somebody who we think symbolically would be there for all. A new NEC, A new head of the party. Should be there for all.
Not for Wike, or for Makinde, or Bala or for Sule Lamido. The very thing we had in 1998. Alex Ekwueme was the first chairman. Then Solomon Lar. These are symbols in their own right. And therefore, they are in the party. So, we get somebody now. And there are a number of them who are symbolically for all and then we get the party.
How far have you gone with the consultation?
When you’re fighting a civil war, there’ll be a lot of difficulties because of the issue of pride and ego and others. But then, I think the national interest should be able to take over and then subsume all other interests.
We are meeting, so that before the next, one week at least, we will come and say, fine, this is where we are and we are still pleading and appealing and begging. The governors are gone. There are only two now. Bala and Makinde and Wike. Now, if these three of them come together and say. Three of us have being friends from the very beginning. Lets look at PDP and Nigeria and come together and when they unite, three of them, we’ll follow.
They are the governors now. PDP before have other governors. But then we agree. We are now followers. We are now their boys, We agree. But then let the leaders, honestly and sincerely and in the most patriotic show the way. And they can do it if they want.
So are you taking any action against the convention? Are you no longer interested in contesting?
Even initially I was called by the leaders and elders of the arty to come and run for the chairmanship. I was expecting the process would be smooth and transparent but then there was so much bitterness and rancour. I was running to be able to see what I could do for the party and bring all the leaders and elders together again but there was so much rancour. So I’m not running again.
Are you hopeful these factions can still come together before the convention?
Once they sit down. We are going for a convention. We are going to meet up with the electoral law. Because if we don’t get the convention, beyond that, there will be some problem. If you are not fielding candidate for House Assembly, Governorship, National Assembly. There is a dead line because time is not on our side. So if they can meet tomorrow, they can meet.
Three of them, they say, OK, fine. We are good friends, leaders, We have now forgiving each other. Fine, let’s just put up, a joint ticket,
Who and who? Let’s work it out. And then they say, look, three of us have agreed that, today, this is what we are going to do in the convention.These are who are going to elect. Let’s get rid of this, Because the family is very easy to reconcile. It’s a family thing.
Do you think the PDP should maintain the prevailing zoning arrangements?
You see, zoning was a mechanism invented by PDP in 1998. It was something used to be able to pacify the political temperature of the country, and then to appeal to the West and they say, fair enough. In democracy, you know, it’s an open thing. But then because of what we were going through, let’s guide our democracy. Let’s locate certain area, let’s percify them, if we need to get it to certain area. We will get there. So that we can pacify them based on the past so that we can give the country a chance to reunite.
Now, if the zoning is still the only way out, we’ll do it. Anything to be able to give the country a chance, you know, to reunite and reconcile the country.
Because the country is now divided. Along North and South. North Central and North East, you know? Christian, Yoruba. I mean, we are simply a bit too much like in 1998. So, far PDP we are putting the zoning to south, so far, based on zoning now. I think it’s manageable.
After the convention, if we are going to go for the primary election for the president, anybody from the south in PDP, anybody, be it Makinde, Wike, anybody from the south who wants to be the candidate there’s no problem.
We agree, we are going there as a family of PDP.
What is it that has made you to stay in the PDP despite the crisis?
Based on my beliefs for the country, for human dignity. And therefore, this has shaped my political, you know, world view. And my political life. When situations become so difficult, with the temptation to go and run away, I’ve been saying, even if I want to go to anywhere, even if I want to go, my soul will not follow me.
It will not follow me. So, you see, its not that I’m better than anybody, but it’s only because of my upbringing, there’s something called character in people. How do you, for instance, something which honoured you and dignified you. From somebody unknown, unnoticed, the party picks you out from so many people and then honour you and make you a governor, make you a senator, make you a minister, make you a president, dignify you and then you abandon it. What do they make of us as leaders in Nigeria? Who will ever respect us? Not really.
So, in my background, you know, it depends on some principles. That’s why in 1979 to 1983, I also resigned from the House of Representatives because my election to the House of Representatives was purely on the name of Mala AMinu Kano and PRP.
In 1979, people who were voting for UPN in the Southwest, were voting because of Awolowo. So, the same thing, anybody who had an election in Kano in 1979 simply was going on the name of Malam Aminu Kano and his party. Your personality was not there. So, when I was leaving the party, I resigned from the House because it’s only fair I give the party what they gave me. I cannot simply take their authority, their power, their aura, and then go and fight them. It’s immoral and unethical. So, I resigned. I said, fine, I’ll leave the House. Going to NPP, try my luck. If I fail, no problem. But then I don’t have anything like a moral burden on me.
I went to Abubakar Rimi, I said, sir, I have resigned from the House of Reps. He said, what do you mean? I said, sir, because we are now going to NPP. He said, are you crazy? I said, I’m not crazy. I’m normal. I said, sir, you see, look at the background, our upbringing, our culture and tradition, even our religion. You can’t simply betray something which made you and then fight it again.
It’s bad enough. You know? You are leaving it but maintaining the armaments, using their own armoury. So, sir, if you are leaving the party, you must also resign. So he resigned from the government.
What happened in 2014? I said to my colleague governors, look, if we are going to go into into APC, let’s resign from the government. But then they said they would not. I was very willing. I was very willing to resign.
I was willing to resign from the government. I told my colleague, I said, all of you who are going to AP now, resign from the government. And they refused. I said, I will not follow you. Because I can’t support taking over the entire arsenal of the PDP, It’s armoury. And then go and fight it. I can’t do that. So it’s something called character and honour.