Obasanjo’s Endorsement of Obi was a Big Mistake, Says Lamido

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

A former governor of Jigawa State, Mr. Sule Lamido, has described the recent endorsement of the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi, by former President Olusegun Obasanjo as “a big mistake.”

 Lamido, who was a Foreign Affairs Minister under Obasanjo’s administration, made the remarks on Friday while answering questions from journalists at Bamaina, his country home, in Birnin Kudu Local Government Area of Jigawa State.

Lamido stated that people like Obasanjo failed to understand that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) made them who they are.

“Obasanjo talks because he was a former president. If he was not, he can’t; because the PDP made him and he is demeaning the PDP.

“Obasanjo is my boss, and I believe in him, but he is human; he can make mistakes and he made a big mistake for him to endorse a party outside his party which made him what he is, getting the relevance, the image, he has globally.

“No matter the circumstances, whether power rotation or what, people are dishonest, when it comes to a sense of justice and fairness.

“When he was in office, he tried for the third term. Is that fair, is that justice? It’s not. I respect him but we have to stand by our tradition, the history of our political party, our philosophy, and PDP made Nigeria what it’s today.

“He is endorsing Peter Obi because he is either angry because of Atiku Abubakar and Bola Tinubu, both men are strong characters and personalities; so, the fear of these very strong men is what is haunting him; that is all.

“The monopoly he has in Nigeria space will not have it. The fear of sharing that space with somebody is what is bringing all these problems for him. What he just said about Peter Obi is just an opinion.

“I have my own beliefs and convictions which I and other like-minded people promote and those of us who share these beliefs and aspirations came together and formed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and PDP formed a government in Nigeria.

“Our people failed to understand that when a party honours you, dignified you makes you who you are, and that is why you are talking. To me, whether it’s Obasanjo or any other person he is talking about because he was a former president, under the PDP.

“The PDP invented him, and honoured, and dignified him and we look at him as a leader, who is inspiring, and motivating and can chart a new course for Nigeria. Those who worked with him in the last 25 years can trust him and respect him. That is his legacy in life.

“So, it’s very sad that a man that was made by PDP demeaned PDP. It’s sad because what is the lesson he is teaching to the younger generation?

“No matter how angry we are, we cannot deny history,” Lamido said.

Lamido also used the occasion to welcome a former deputy governor of the state, Ahmad Mahmoud, who was defecting from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the PDP.

The former deputy governor resigned from the APC last week. He was the deputy governor of the state from 2007  to 2015 when Lamido was the governor of the state.

Before joining the PDP, Mahmud was commissioner representing Jigawa State in the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) from where he resigned in May and contested and lost the APC governorship ticket.