Former Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido, has accused Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors of deliberately stopping him from contesting for the party’s national chairmanship.
Lamido, speaking in an interview with the BBC Hausa Service, alleged that PDP governors refused to issue him a nomination form despite a court order directing the party to allow him to contest. He said the governors’ actions were a calculated attempt to shut him out of the race.
According to him, the chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum and Bauchi State governor, Bala Mohammed, personally urged him to step aside, claiming he would be “too independent” if elected.
“Bala, the governor of Bauchi, called and said, ‘My elder brother, you are stronger than us. If we make you chairman, we can’t influence you,’” Lamido stated.
He said he reminded the governor of the party’s long history and insisted the PDP should not be controlled by a few individuals.
“I told him, ‘When PDP was formed, you were not there. The party with history should not be controlled by one person,’” Lamido said.
Despite securing a court ruling compelling the PDP to grant him access to the contest, he said the governors refused to obey the order and instead filed an appeal.
Lamido also rejected the outcome of the party’s recent convention, where Tanimu Turaki emerged as national chairman, describing the exercise as “null and void” and unacceptable.
He called on senior party stakeholders, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo, to intervene and help restore the PDP’s founding ideals. According to him, the party must return to its core values if it hopes to strengthen Nigeria’s democracy and national development.
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