Alhaji Sule Lamido, a stalwart of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former governor of Jigawa State, has cautioned that continued attempts to undermine the PDP could be fatal for Nigeria’s democracy.
Speaking during the PDP Local Government Congress in Birnin Kudu, Jigawa State, following his election as a National Delegate, Lamido claimed that the way members were leaving the party was “very ominous” for the nation’s future.
“My people wisely chose me to be a delegate, not because I needed it, but because experience is necessary in this situation,” he stated.
Lamido voiced his alarm about what he called a “systemic assault on the opposition through manipulation of key institutions like the police, security agencies, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).”
He said that federal organizations such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) were being used by President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to weaken and frighten opposition movements.
“It’s normal for the APC to oppose the PDP as a political party, but it’s problematic when the APC-controlled Federal Government utilizes national institutions to suppress the opposition. “The government and the President himself are fighting us, not just the members of the APC,” Lamido stated.
Lamido emphasized that freedom, liberty, and a genuine opposition are essential to democracy.
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“A thriving opposition is essential to Nigeria’s democracy. He cautioned that toppling the PDP would put Nigeria on a course toward self-destruction rather than merely destroying a party.
“It is self-destruction to use the EFCC and other agencies to intimidate and weaken opposition parties,” he continued. Fear-driven APC members will come to regret their decision.
The former minister also described the ongoing defections to the APC as a “suicidal alliance,” predicting that many disillusioned politicians would eventually return to the PDP.
He urged aggrieved politicians to come back to the PDP, describing it as Nigeria’s most organised and people-driven political platform.
Lamido concluded, “If you destroy the opposition, you destroy the nation.”
