Former Jigawa State governor and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Sule Lamido, has strongly criticised former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, over his recent political moves, stating that the latter cannot make people to quit their political parties.
Speaking in an interview with BBC Hausa Service, Lamido dismissed El-Rufai’s defection from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) as a desperate move, stating that leadership requires patience, vision, and a commitment to national unity.
“Leadership is done with patience and vision, and doing things for the peace of the followers and the country as a whole,” Lamido said.
His remarks came in response to El-Rufai’s recent call for key opposition figures, including Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Rotimi Amaechi, and Rauf Aregbesola, to join him in the SDP. While El-Rufai did not mention Lamido directly, the former Jigawa State governor took offence at the invitation, describing it as an insult.
“The party we formed, the PDP, is the one that gave birth to El-Rufai,” Lamido stated. “You’re not enough to make us leave the PDP.”
Lamido further accused El-Rufai of contradicting his past statements about northern Nigerian politics.
“He once said that there are no elders in northern Nigerian politics, but now he is calling on us to join him in the SDP,” Lamido pointed out.
The former governor also questioned the sincerity of El-Rufai’s defection, arguing that if he had lost faith in the APC, he should not have consulted former President Muhammadu Buhari before making his decision.
“He said he told President Buhari about his decision to leave the APC, but now he is saying that he is one of the elders in Nigerian politics,” Lamido remarked.
Reaffirming his loyalty to the PDP, Lamido dismissed any suggestion that he might consider leaving the party.
“If I was going to leave the PDP, I would have done so in 2014 when the APC was formed,” he said.
“The PDP has been working to rebuild its strength after losing the 2015 presidential election,” he revealed.
