Buhari is Intolerant of Opposition, Says Lamido

Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi

A former governor of Jigawa State and presidential aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Sule Lamido, has described President Muhammadu Buhari as a ‘paracivilian’ due to his alleged intolerance for the opposition.

Similarly, he expressed worry that under President Buhari’s administration, Nigerians have been starved to the extent that they cannot protest against the hike in the prices of essential commodities in the country which is contrary to democratic tenets.

Speaking in Bauchi Wednesday when he visited the state executive and delegates of the party ahead of the fothcoming presidential primary election, Lamido said that President Buhari had since his assumption of office been persecuting members of the opposition in the name of fighting corruption.

He pointed out that ex-PDP chieftains who defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) are being exempted or absolved of corruption charges, claiming that those who remain in the opposition party suffer persecution.

According to him, “When Atiku, Kwankwaso, Saraki and others left PDP for APC, they became saints. But now that they defected from it, they are tagged thieves, corrupt. But Amaechi, Akpabio and their likes who are now in APC have been forgiven. What a trick.”

He therefore urged the electorate to vote for credibility in the next election and ignore the campaigns of calumny by APC against the PDP aspirants.

He also asked the party delegates to choose him in the forthcoming primaries, noting that unlike other aspirants, he never dumped PDP since it was established.

He described officials of the APC federal government as thieves who he said have deceived and disunited Nigerians along tribal and religious lines.

Lamido accused the APC-led federal government of being selective in the fight against corruption, “if you are in PDP they say you are a thief, if you are in APC you are a saint. What kind of justice is this? Governor Ortom has spent three years governing Benue State, immediately he dumped APC, EFCC began investigating his administration.

“We are aware that APC has shielded corrupt personalities that are supporting the APC. If you are in APC, all your corruption are forgiven, but if you are in PDP you are a thief. We are in a democracy, you threatened people that you will jail so and so persons but a leader doesn’t threaten his subjects. He treats them with justice, compassion and mercy not jail threat and intimidation. This can’t change the destiny of whoever God prepare to become the next president come 2019. I believe in the entrenchment of democracy in the country.”

Lamido, who traced the history of politics in Nigeria from the First Republic down to the present Third Republic said Nigeria has more credible and trustworthy leaders, like Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, late Sa’adu Zungur and Mallam Aminu Kano to mention just a few.

He accused the APC government of “bringing untold hardships by introducing anti-wellbeing of people policies contrary to the fake pledges they made during the electioneering. Today there is high cost of living in all aspects of life, after he pledged to end insurgency, reduce the price of petrol and improve people’s welfare which all turned out to be blatant lies”.

Lamido said Buhari and APC told Nigerians lies prior to the 2015 elections, stating: “Now the people have known better‎ and that will manifest in the 2019 polls.”

Responding, the state Vice-Chairman of the party, Alhaji Shitu, opined that Lamido is qualified to be president based on his political records, promising that they would sit down and make decisions on who to elect at the presidential primaries.