A former Governor of Jigawa State and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Sule Lamido, has said ongoing political realignments across major parties have created uncertainty about Nigeria’s political direction.
Lamido stated this on Wednesday in a post shared on his Facebook page, where he described the current political atmosphere as “murky” and difficult to interpret.
According to him, he was still trying to understand the evolving political alliances before taking any personal political decision.
“I am trying hard to decipher and understand the political chemistry and direction of the moment in Nigeria as to make a less confused decision,” he wrote.
The former governor noted that many of his political associates were now scattered across different political platforms, including the ruling All Progressives Congress.
He listed several figures currently in the APC, including Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Secretary to the Government of the Federation George Akume, former APC National Chairman Abdullahi Adamu, as well as Aliyu Wamakko, Danjuma Goje, and Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.
Lamido also pointed out that the Peoples Democratic Party’s vice-presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, Ifeanyi Okowa, was now involved in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s second-term political efforts.
He further observed that prominent political figures were gathering under the African Democratic Congress, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Liyel Imoke, Rotimi Amaechi, Aminu Tambuwal, Gabriel Suswam, Abdulfatah Ahmed, Lawal Batagarawa, and Adamu Waziri, among others.
He equally referenced political movements within the New Democratic Coalition, mentioning former Bayelsa State governor Seriake Dickson, former Kano State governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, and former Anambra State governor Peter Obi.
Lamido maintained that many of the political actors across the various parties rose to national prominence through the Peoples Democratic Party.
“All those mentioned in the above parties now were the creation and invention of the PDP. Whatever titles or status they hold were conferred on them by PDP. Whatever visibility they now command is all thanks to PDP,” he said.
Reflecting on Nigeria’s democratic journey, Lamido recalled the role played by political leaders in stabilising the country following the June 12 political crisis, noting that collective efforts in 1999 helped restore national unity and democratic governance.
“Together in 1999 we all laboured hard to save and restore Nigeria from a very complex political situation occasioned by June 12. We restored lost trust, reconciled our political chemistry, stabilised the country and started human development in earnest,” he added.
He further said Nigeria regained regional and global relevance during that period, asserting that the country reclaimed leadership positions within the Economic Community of West African States and the African Union.
Lamido, however, questioned the present state of Nigeria’s politics nearly three decades after the return to democracy.
“We knew where we were in 1999. Do we know where we are today, twenty-seven years after?” he queried.
