A former governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, has predicted the political future and relationship between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyewom Wike, and President Bola Tinubu.
According to Lamido, Wike, a
member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), will soon become a political
orphan to President Tinubu.
Lamido made this remark while
speaking on the internal crisis rocking the PDP and Wike’s affiliation with the
All Progressives Congress (APC) led administration.
He acknowledged that the
ongoing PDP crisis resulted from its previous actions and because they, the
party’s founding fathers, failed to build on the stability that once existed
when the party was in power.
The erstwhile Minister of
Foreign Affairs noted this during a recent interaction with The Tribune.
When asked what the way forward
is for the PDP, having lost serially to the APC in the previous elections,
Lamido said: “You are still talking about the mood of the moment. You didn’t
reflect on the past. You must look back and ask what is the source of the
problem. If you see a raging fire, you must identify the source to be able to
control the smoke. You are simply talking about the symptoms; you are not
looking at the bigger picture.
“When you say PDP, in 1998,
when it was formed, the main focus was to restore unity in Nigeria, to restore
people’s confidence, which was undermined by June 12 (1993 presidential
election annulment) and a section of the country felt cheated and lost the
sense of belonging. After the PDP came to power, the country was stabilised, as
against the (previous) feeling of distrust. Chief Olusegun Obasanjo from the
South West emerged as the president even though they never liked him in his
region.
“What is happening now is that
we failed to build on that stability. Unfortunately, today, we are only
reacting to the consequences of our own actions. Look at this government: all
the governors the majority of the lawmakers, are PDP, only a few are from the
Lagos axis but the majority of them are PDP. Even the Secretary to the
Government of the Federation (SGF) in Tinubu’s administration – George Akume –
was in PDP. (President Bola) Tinubu (Vice President Kashim) Shettima and the
SGF are former governors, former senators, and up to the Senate President.
Isn’t there a team with more experience solving Nigeria’s problems than this
team?”
Speaking further, Lamido
faulted the speculations and narratives that the PDP has already conceded the
political space in the party to the likes of former Governor of Rivers State,
Nyesom Wike.
“If Tinubu is not tolerating him,
who is Wike?” Lamido asked.
He stated: “Wike is our
creation. We made him. Where was Wike in 1999? Somebody who was your own
invention, whom you thought you could develop, groom as a future leader now
tells you that he is his own person now; what do you do? To me, Wike is not a
factor. If Tinubu does not tolerate him, who is Wike? So, Wike is there today
because the environment is there for him to manipulate and exploit. Simple. We
are putting political expediency over national interest. Wike is being hyped by
Tinubu to destroy the PDP but destroying the PDP also means destroying Tinubu.”
Wike Was Never Planted In PDP
When asked to address the
speculations by some Nigerians that Wike was planted to undermine the PDP,
Lamido said: “No, Wike wasn’t planted. He is PDP. Are you saying Tinubu made
him Special Adviser to (former Rivers State governor) Peter Odili or Chief of
Staff to (former Governor Rotimi) Amaechi? Are you saying it was Tinubu who
made him governor of Rivers State? No, Wike was never planted. He is PDP, but
that is the Nigerian character we have been discussing.
But ultimately, he will become
a political orphan to Tinubu and both of them are going to lose because the
entire arrangement is unholy; it is immoral, it is un-Nigerian. This issue of
betrayal and undermining your party isn’t part of our culture. No matter how long
he serves Tinubu, ultimately, both of them are going to lose because the
country is losing. So, Wike was never planted. He was simply identified as a
willing character who lacks the morality and good character, and honour not to
disown his own party. He has mortgaged his own party.”
Asked whether the PDP has
conceded that Tinubu is unstoppable in 2027, Lamido said: “No. You see, the
domestic cat fed on small chickens, but one day, the mother of the chickens
stood up to the cat. Tinubu is that cat. What I am saying is that even
Pharaoh’s empire collapsed. So, no matter how daring you are, it won’t end
well.
“So, Tinubu today is somebody
who has a grip on Nigeria, who owes obeisance to nobody in Nigeria, who
believes that God made him and he made himself, and he is now lording it over
the Nigerian people, and nobody can challenge him. He was adept at studying the
system and manipulating it. He exploited it, and he did it well. I wish he
could use his sagacity and talent to help Nigeria’s development. It would have
been wonderful. But he is using it negatively. He has everything but not for
the development of Nigeria, and it is affecting you; it is affecting me.”
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