From Femi Mustapha in Kaduna
Former Jigawa State Governor and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Alhaji Sule Lamido, has responded to former Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, over his call for opposition politicians to join the Social Democratic Party (SDP), stating that they have no interest in doing so.
El-Rufai, who recently announced his defection from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to SDP, urged opposition leaders, including Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Rotimi Amaechi, and Rauf Aregbesola, to join him in his new political movement.
However, Sule Lamido, a former Governor of Jigawa state and a presidential hopeful, in an interview with BBC, dismissed El-Rufai’s invitation to opposition members, questioning his political ideology and commitment to national development.
“With all due respect, how does he 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 said.
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 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 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 prioritizing the country’s well-being rather than personal emotions.”
Lamido concluded by urging politicians to focus on strengthening the country rather than making decisions based on resentment.
