PDP Governors Thwarted My Chairmanship Bid, Claim I’m Too Independent – Lamido

Sule Lamido, a former governor of Jigawa State, has accused governors chosen on the PDP platform of preventing him from running for the national leadership of the party.

In an interview with the BBC Hausa Service, Lamido claimed that despite a court ruling requiring the party to permit him to run, the governors refused to provide him access to nomination forms.

He claims that Bala Mohammed, the governor of Bauchi State and head of the PDP Governors’ Forum, personally requested him to resign.

“Bala, the governor of Bauchi, called and said, ‘My elder brother, you are stronger than us,'” he stated. We won’t be able to influence you if we choose you chairman.

Reminding the governor that the PDP was founded on group principles rather than individual control, Lamido said he turned down the offer.

“You weren’t there when PDP was formed,” I told him. “One person shouldn’t control the party with history,” he continued.

The former governor clarified that the governors disregarded a court order for the PDP to permit him to run. Rather, he claimed, the party filed an appeal to prevent him from taking part.

Lamido claimed that what happened went against the party’s constitution and democratic principles and accused the governors of taking over the process.

Additionally, he disregarded Tanimu Turaki’s election as national chairman at the party’s most recent national convention.

He insisted that the procedure was illegitimate, saying, “That convention is null and void.”

Senior stakeholders, such as former President Olusegun Obasanjo, were urged by Lamido to step in and assist in reorganizing the party.

He maintained that in order for the PDP to properly fulfill its role in Nigeria’s democracy, it must revert to its original ideals.

The former governor cautioned that if internal democracy is further compromised, the party may see additional deterioration.