‘You Can’t Make Us Leave PDP’, Lamido Fires Back at El-Rufai

Former Jigawa State Governor and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sule Lamido, has sharply criticized former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, over his recent political maneuvers, insisting that El-Rufai cannot force people to leave their political parties.

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), describing it as a desperate move. Lamido emphasized 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 prominent opposition figures, including Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Rotimi Amaechi, and Rauf Aregbesola, to join him in the SDP. Although El-Rufai did not specifically mention Lamido, the former Jigawa Governor took offense at the invitation, calling it 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 also accused El-Rufai of contradicting his previous statements about northern Nigerian politics, recalling that El-Rufai had once claimed there were no elders in the region’s political landscape. Lamido questioned the sincerity of El-Rufai’s defection, arguing that if he had truly lost faith in the APC, he should not have consulted with former President Muhammadu Buhari before making the move.

“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.”