By Mohammed Abubakar, Dutse
Former Governor of Jigawa State and Nigeria’s former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alhaji Sule Lamido, says former Vice President Atiku Atiku, former Presidential candidate of Labour Party in the 2023 election Peter Obi, former Kano State Governor and 2023 Presidential flag bearer of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and others as politically homeless just as he threw his weight behind the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to de-recognise the Senator David Mark-led leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Stating that INEC exercised it’s statutory powers over activities of political parties, Lamido told journalists at the end of a stakeholders’ consultative meeting of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) meeting in Dutse, the capital of Jigawa State the leaders who defected to ADC lacked the leadership temperament to resolve their own internal party crisis and therefore could not be trusted to solve the nation’s problems.
INEC had last week, acting on an Appeal Court judgment on March 12, suspended the recognition of Senator David Mark as the National Chairman and former Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola of the National Chairman and National Secretary of ADC, pending the final resolution of the suit of filed by new of the claimant to the national chairmanship position Nafiu Bala Gombe, challenging the legitimacy of David Mark-led leadership.
The elders statesman, who spoke on a wide range of national issues blamed the leaders for creating the problems that INEC latched onto to axe the David Mark-led executive, wondering how they (ADC leaders) would their own party the PDP simply because of the challenges it is was facing and go and hijack another political platform.
According to him: “Get this very clear, under the Nigerian constitution and the law, INEC is the only agency over seeing the activities of political parties so, in whatever you do, bear this this in mind and don’t create the situation that INEC would latch on to.”
He said it was “morally incorrect for the leaders to have left their own party simply because of the internal challenges to “confiscate’ another platform. You leave PDP, a party that has history, a party with a big foundation and you go to a small thing called ADC, which is nobody in Nigeria.
“Fine if you think because ADC is an orphan and you feel you’re strong enough and you want to go and confiscate’ their home, in my view it is very immoral to go to a small boy and confiscate’ his biscuit or his sugarcane or his phone. The question is, is how they want to rule Nigeria?
“To me, it is not just to acquire the leadership of the country, the process of assuming the leadership matters. So, f in the process, you create a crack that INEC would latch on then it is your fault and that is what happened in the case.of the ADC.”
Lamido, who defended his endorsement of the recently conducted national convention of PDP faction led by Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, in Abuja, said it was in line with his believe in the rule of law, assuring that despite whatever problem the party was experiencing, he would not run away to anywhere.
According to him: “The PDP is my only sanctuary as a party man. Yes, there’s a problem I’m my party but if you ask me to go out, I’m in a home you’re asking me to go and find a small house to rent like ADC and NDC, that’s the issue.
“If you’re saying that because my house is leaking and therefore I should to leave it and go to find a small house like ADC and NDC are doing now. Which means they had their own home even though it is inconvenient for them they left their home as they lack the capacity withstand the pressure in their home. They went outside to look for a small house. Now they got the house which is ADC and NDC and they’re being flushed out.”
The former Jigawa Governor confirmed that the party would field candidates in all the elective positions from the State Assembly up to the Presidency. He also addressed the position of Wike in the leadership equation of the PDP.
Lamido noted those referring to Wike as the National Leader of the party were entitled to their opinions which he said was in line with democratic practices as “in a democracy, everyone is entitled to refer to anyone as as his leader.”
He recalled that during his speech at the convention he never referred to Wike as his political leader, neither did the former Senate President Bukola Saraki made similar reference.
