Former Jigawa State Governor and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Sule Lamido, has rejected a call by former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, urging opposition leaders to join the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
El-Rufai recently announced his defection from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the SDP in an interview with BBC Hausa. While he did not mention Lamido by name, he invited key opposition figures, including Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Rotimi Amaechi, and Rauf Aregbesola, to join him.
In response, Lamido dismissed the invitation as an insult, emphasizing that the PDP, which he played a role in building, was instrumental in El-Rufai’s political rise.
“The party we formed, the PDP, is the one that gave birth to El-Rufai.
“You’re not enough to make us leave the PDP,” Lamido said.
He further noted, “He once said that there are no adults in Nigeria in politics, but now he is calling on us to join him in the SDP.”
Lamido also questioned El-Rufai’s motives for leaving the APC, pointing out contradictions in his statements.
“He said he told President Buhari about his decision to leave the APC, but now he is saying that he is one of the adults in Nigerian politics,” Lamido stated.
He insisted that the PDP had not given him any reason to leave and reaffirmed his commitment to the party.
“If I was going to leave the PDP, I would have done so in 2014 when the APC was formed,” he said.
The former governor also criticized El-Rufai’s leadership style, arguing that true leadership requires patience and selflessness.
“Leadership is done with patience and vision, and doing things for the peace of the followers and the country as a whole,” Lamido said.
He advised El-Rufai to prioritize patriotism over personal grievances.
“What should be done is to put patriotism first, instead of showing anger towards someone,” he said.
Lamido concluded by noting that the PDP is actively working to regain its strength following its loss in the 2015 presidential election.
