Many APC, Opposition Figures Rose Through PDP — Lamido

Former Jigawa Stat ine governor, Sule Lamido, has said that many key figures in both the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and opposition parties built their political careers on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

In a statement posted on Facebook on Wednesday titled: “My Dilemma in Today’s Murky Political Environment,” Lamido said he is struggling to understand Nigeria’s current political direction.

Listing prominent figures across party lines, Lamido emphasised their PDP roots.

“In APC, I have my governor colleagues like Senate President Godswill Akpabio, SGF George Akume, Abdullahi Adamu, Governor Wamakko, Goje, Ganduje, and so on. Even our PDP vice-presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, is now leading Tinubu’s second bid campaign,” he said.

“In ADC, I have my leader, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, my colleague governors and ministers like Liyel Imoke, Rotimi Amaechi, Aminu Tambuwal, Gabriel Suswam, Abdulfatah Ahmed, Lawal Batagarawa, Adamu Waziri and many more.

“In NDC, my brother Governor Seriake Dickson is the boss. My fellow brother, Governor and Minister Rabiu Kwankwaso, is now there. Our PDP vice-presidential candidate in the 2019 general election, Peter Obi, is also there.”

Lamido insisted that the political relevance of many of these figures can be traced back to the PDP.

“All those mentioned in the above parties now were the creation and invention of the PDP. Whatever titles or status they hold were conferred on them by PDP. Whatever visibility they now command is all thanks to PDP,” he added.

“I am trying hard to decipher and understand the political chemistry and direction of the moment in Nigeria as to make a less confused decision,” he wrote.

Reflecting on Nigeria’s democratic journey, Lamido said the country appears to have lost its sense of direction 27 years after returning to civil rule.

He recalled how political actors came together in 1999 to address what he described as a “very complex political situation occasioned by June 12,” noting that the PDP played a central role in stabilising the country at the time.
He further reflected on the early years of Nigeria’s Fourth Republic, saying the PDP restored national cohesion and repositioned the country on the global stage.

“We restored the lost trust, we reconciled our political chemistry, we stabilised the country and started human development in earnest. We reclaimed our leadership role in ECOWAS and the African Union. We became a key player on the world stage,” he said.

Lamido, however, questioned Nigeria’s current trajectory.

“We knew where we were in 1999. Do we know where we are today, twenty-seven years after?” he asked.