Former Jigawa State Governor and PDP stalwart, Alhaji Sule Lamido, has rebuffed former Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai’s call for opposition figures to join the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
El-Rufai, who recently left the All Progressives Congress (APC) for SDP, urged key opposition leaders such as Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Rotimi Amaechi, and Rauf Aregbesola to follow suit.
He argued that PDP and the Labour Party were no longer effective opposition platforms, claiming they had been compromised by the ruling APC.
However, in a BBC Hausa Service interview, Lamido dismissed El-Rufai’s proposition, questioning his political ideology and commitment to national development.
“With all due respect, how does he expect us to abandon PDP for another party? The PDP we built is the same party that made him who he is today,” Lamido stated, likening El-Rufai’s move to a grandson discrediting his grandfather.
He recalled El-Rufai’s past assertions that there were no true political elders in Nigeria and that he and his allies were the real power brokers.
Lamido challenged these claims, asking why El-Rufai had to seek President Buhari’s advice if he truly wielded the influence he once boasted about.
Despite PDP’s challenges, Lamido insisted it remained his political home. “If PDP is struggling, it is still the party that shaped El-Rufai.
If he claims PDP is dead, he must remember it laid his political foundation,” he argued.
Lamido further questioned why those who left PDP in 2014 to form APC were now abandoning APC. “If I refused to join APC in 2014 when invited, why should I leave PDP now? What has APC done to them?” he asked.
He emphasized that governance should be about patience and national interest rather than personal grievances. “Leadership should not be dictated by emotions.
If the goal is to challenge President Tinubu, it should be for the country’s good, not out of personal anger or revenge,” he added.
Lamido urged politicians to focus on strengthening the nation rather than making impulsive decisions driven by resentment.
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