Alhaji Sule Lamido is a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and former Minister of Foreign Affairs, whose stand against zoning the Presidential ticket in 2023 eventually paved the way for the victory of former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar at the party’s presidential primaries. In this exclusive interview with Vanguard, Lamido gives reasons Atiku will beat All Progressives Congress, APC, flag bearer, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu in the race to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari, next year, why Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, should be rescued and protected ahead of future elections, among sundry national issues.

Atiku Abubakar and Bola Tinubu of the PDP and APC are highly experienced and influential leaders across the country. Who has edge over the other, going into the 2003 election?

There are two dimensions to this. One is about emotions, divisions and religion but I don’t want to go into divisive politics. The other one is the question of platform. PDP is a political party which is peaceful, very organic, and founded by political thinkers who believe in Nigeria, people who have vision and passion for Nigeria. In terms of the philosophical underpinnings of their foundation, APC is not a match for PDP at all; APC has no history, APC has no what I may call heritage; it is a party which was purely formed out of anger, frustration, pain and maybe, the desire to take over power.

In 1998 when the parties were formed there was no APC. What we had then were four political parties in Nigeria: Alliance for Democracy, AD, the PDP, All Peoples Party, APP and a few other ones but the major ones were three.

By 2003, PDP was still there but the APP had morphed into All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP and AD was becoming divided along conservative lines and Action Congress, AC was birthed. In 2007, there was still PDP, the ANPP and AC became Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN. By 2011, PDP was still there. So, when the other parties were formed in 2013 or thereabout, none could match the history of the PDP and this fact has not changed till today.

Tinubu may be a master tactician. He is a good guy in planning and propaganda but then he is on the wrong political platform and even the way he came out, the way he won the primaries, it is very clear that even members of the APC are going to vote against him. I am being honest because of the issue of pride and their chairman who said they are going to punish Tinubu for making some uncomplimentary remarks about the President.
I think in trying to answer your question, one should be very careful because it is our heritage, our history, our symbols that you are talking about here. I mean Obasanjo and Atiku: they symbolise PDP in power.

It is said that when two elephants fight, the grass suffers because it is trampled upon. I will appeal to them that while they are fighting, they should remember that they are also destroying their history and the history of the PDP.

Obasanjo is a senior man, somebody who is elderly. He has the right to talk down on his own children but that should be an in-house accusation. He can say Atiku you are this or that but when he says it publicly to the country he led, it is wrong. What might have been his achievements are also linked to Atiku because they ran on a joint ticket.

I don’t want to sound rude but when PDP was formed, Obasanjo was in prison and the formation of the PDP had history. We had a group led by Atiku and many others and also the progressives as symbolised by Solomon Lar, Abubakar Rimi, Jim Nwobodo and many others. It is right to say that when PDP was formed, Obasanjo was not politically known
Professor Ango Abdullahi has dismissed the candidacy of Atiku and Tinubu as incapable of addressing the challenges confronting Nigeria. If Abdullahi, a notable voice in the North is saying your party is not fit to govern Nigeria, what is your take on this?

Afenifere people are talking and so is the Ohanaeze Ndigbo. Northern Elders Forum, NEF, is talking but what impact has the Ango Abdullahi group made ever since? So if Ango, who is my elder brother, who I respect, talks this way at his age; is he thinking right? His ideas and thinking are those of a 87 years person who is totally disconnected from Nigeria because how does he talk to a 25 years old child to understand him?

In any case, this person has been there for the last 25 years and he could not even join (political race).

The Northern Elders’ Forum is not a political umbrella; it is for all northerners including Sule Lamido. Therefore, he can’t make a choice for me.

You were one of the advocates of an open ticket in the race to the PDP presidential ticket, which eventually led to the emergence of Atiku Abubakar. There was a strong agitation for zoning which you kicked against. Without zoning, it appears, a particular section of the country will continue to have its way…

My position was and is very clear. I am a pan-Nigerian, who believes in the oneness of the country- the unity of the North and South. Within the PDP, even though there are competing interests, it is normal. You see, there are those who are emotional, who see their son as a symbol of their fulfillment but we want a candidate who will be there and be a symbol of national unity, progress and security.

But the agitation among the various contending interests is that ‘we want our son to be there for our own symbolism.’ Whether we are dying or not it is not their problem. Today, we have a Buhari, a northerner, a Fulani man. But are the people of the North happier today? Are they better off today because their son is the President of Nigeria? Let us believe and trust in ourselves

Now, this issue of zoning or no zoning is being whispered by regional and tribal champions. I mean the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Arewa Consultative Forum, the Afenifere- these are the people who are talking but then they are not political parties.

They should join political parties and promote their interests. That will be easy for us to understand because as brothers and sisters, as a single family, we can discuss it.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2022/07/2023-some-apc-members-prefer-atiku-to-tinubu-lamido/

Of course buhari the fulani is number 1

He is doing everything possible to rubbish the apc vehicle tinubu is going to drive before nigerians

Tinubu should be grateful if he doesn't get stoned when Campaign begin

Let's leave sentiments, ethnicity, or religious discrimination out of this...

Let's assume that YOU, my reader, own a big company.

OK, let's lower the standard.

Let's assume you own a very small shop and a 69-year-old man comes to apply to be one of your employees.

Would you employ him?

No way!!! You won't.

You'd definitely ask the old man to go home and rest.

 
OK, let's assume a scenario where you decide to employ him. You then asked for his academic certificates, and he replied with "soldiers stole it".

When you asked for his birth certificate, he said, "rat ate it years ago."

You then ask him "what makes you think you are qualified for this job? " and he replied with...

"Because its my turn"


What would be your reaction?
 
Meanwhile, you can't even work for the same old man if you are up to 60 years old. You'd be forcefully retired.

The same old men would NEVER employ you, even as a gateman, without tendering your qualifications.

Yet , at 80+ years, they want to serve in the HIGHEST Post In a country of over 200million people.
 
Nigerians, please be wise. 

 
This same old man already packaged and sold a Messiah to us that ended up proving to be worse than the devil (in his 8 years as president).

What then makes you think he'd be a Messiah?

I'm not campaigning for or supporting any presidential candidate, ethnic group, or religion.

 I'm only pleading that we all do the right thing and not one we'd all regret later.

 
I've already spent about 1½ minutes writing this short epistle.

I'd spend the remaining 2 minutes fixing up my contact details in Nairaland's profile.

Then continue with my sales of premium software like Grammarly, Quillbot, Canva pro, Turnitin, etc for as low as 3K.

 
God bless President Buhari.
God bless Nigeria.
God bless me.

Likewise some PDP members prefer Tinubu to Atiku

Lamido simply ignored obi from his discussion


he didn't even see him as a threat..



What a shame to the underdog..

They Will decamp to PDP they are already doing it
North cannot vote Tinubu
Its to punish Tinubu for stubbornness.

We all know most APC especially the northern APC members will vote so much for Atiku.

Ebi2233:
They Will decamp to PDP they are already doing it
North cannot vote Tinubu
Its to punish Tinubu for stubbornness.

No they won't all decamp

Some need that alpha beta loot

Some need to play spoiler like buhari is doing everyday to his party chances

Some need to collect valuable info for atiku

Some need to confuse tinubu to make diasters e.g giving him elrufai option

sosanova:
Don't trust most those of APC Northern Governors, they support ethnicity over party any day anytime

our own Arrewa on Nairaland is a confirmation

Then there is sarki of twitter, you don't need to go too far to see that those who are on ground with the northern masses know the pulse is against tinubu

How can you support a deadman like Tinubu and people will take you serious? Check out. Most Tinubu's supporters have mental certificates. They don't reason well.

Truth is 99% of people supporting Tinubu are:
1. Tribal bigots from SW.
2. APC members that have put party &selfish interests above national interests.
3. Brown envelope customers expecting a share from proceeds of Bullion Van loot.

eddie7:
Likewise some PDP members prefer Tinubu to Atiku

the ones who support tinubu in PDP are mainly yorubas that are limited in PDP e.g fayose

They do so obviously because tinubu na chop government of looting, atiku is a generous man that gives everyone opportunity that's why it's really hard to see a handful in pdp apart from fayose that would leave him to support the apc candidate who have numerous mouths already waiting

Some PDP also preffered bat to Atiku,.. Fayose and Co

Even the blind can see it

babyfaceafrica:
Some PDP also preffered bat to Atiku,.. Fayose and Co

Apart from fayose I dare you to mention the "co"

You would be stammering because Dem no many, na only minute yorubas in PDP support tinubu because SS/SE would always get the nod ahead of them in PDP

But in Apc even your party leader buhari is pro fulani Atiku, as well as 90% core northernerns in apc

Illiterate Peoples of Biafra will come here and dance all day. Their failure is near

We yoruba Christian's will never vote Muslims Muslim ticket, by the way Muric told Yoruba Muslims not to vote Yoruba Christian's

Truthisunique2:
Of course buhari the fulani is number 1

He is doing everything possible to rubbish the apc vehicle tinubu is going to drive before nigerians

Tinubu should be grateful if he doesn't get stoned when Campaign begin

I am seriously beginning to fear for his life.