Lamido Tackles El-Rufai Over Call To Join SDP

Former Governor of Jigawa State and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Sule Lamido, has taken a swipe at immediate past Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, following his call for opposition politicians to join his new party, the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

Shortly after El-Rufai dumped All Progressives Congress (APC) for SDP he urged other opposition leaders including Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Rotimi Amaechi, and Rauf Aregbesola, to join him.

Before then, the former Kaduna State governor has insinuated the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party, are not viable opposition platforms because they have been captured by the ruling APC.

But Lamido, in an interview with BBC Hausa Service monitored by our correspondent on Sunday, dismissed El-Rufai’s invitation to opposition members, questioning his political ideology and commitment to national development.

“With all due respect, how does he (El-Rufai) expect us in PDP to leave and join another party? The PDP that we built is the same party that made him who he is today. How can a grandson claim his grandfather knows nothing?” Lamido queried.

He recalled that El-Rufai once declared there were no political elders in Nigeria, insisting that he and his allies were the true power brokers.

“But now he claims he advised Buhari. If he truly had the power he once boasted of, why did he have to seek Buhari’s counsel?” Lamido further asked.

The former governor stressed that, despite PDP’s internal challenges, it remained his political home.

“If PDP is struggling today, it is still the party that nurtured El-Rufai. If he claims PDP is dead, then he must remember that it is the party that gave him his political foundation. Whatever he has achieved today, PDP made it possible.”

Lamido argued that if he had any intention of leaving PDP, he would have done so in 2014 when APC was formed.

“If I didn’t join APC in 2014 when I was invited, and they left PDP out of anger, why are they now leaving APC? What has APC done to them?” he asked.

He maintained that governance should not be driven by emotions or personal grudges.

“Leadership is about patience, foresight, and working for the peace of the people and the nation. If you allow emotions to dictate your decisions, you will never lead objectively.”

He further stressed that if the goal is to unseat President Bola Tinubu, it should not be based on personal grievances but on national interest.

“We should not fight Tinubu just because we are angry at him or seeking revenge. Leadership should be about prioritising the country’s well-being rather than personal emotions.”

Lamido urged politicians to focus on strengthening the country rather than making decisions based on resentment.