Former Jigawa State Governor and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sule Lamido, has dismissed an invitation by ex-Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, urging opposition leaders to defect to the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
El-Rufai, who recently announced his departure from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the SDP, made the appeal in an interview with BBC Hausa.
While he did not directly mention Lamido, he called on notable opposition figures, including Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Rotimi Amaechi, and Rauf Aregbesola, to join him in his new political move.
However, in a separate interview with BBC Hausa on Sunday, Lamido rejected the proposition, describing it as an insult.
He asserted that the PDP, which he played a key role in building, was instrumental in El-Rufai’s rise in politics.
His words: “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.”
He further criticized El-Rufai’s political inconsistency, noting that the former Kaduna governor had previously dismissed political elders in Nigeria but was now seeking their support.
“He once said that there are no adults in Nigerian politics, but now he is calling on us to join him in the SDP,” Lamido stated.
The former Jigawa governor also questioned El-Rufai’s justification for leaving the APC, particularly after claiming he had informed former President Muhammadu Buhari about his decision.
“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 noted.
Reaffirming his loyalty to the PDP, Lamido dismissed any notion of defecting, emphasizing that he had remained steadfast even during the formation of the APC in 2014.
“If I was going to leave the PDP, I would have done so in 2014 when the APC was formed,” he declared.
Additionally, Lamido criticized El-Rufai’s leadership approach, arguing that governance requires patience, vision, and selflessness rather than anger or personal ambition.
“Leadership is done with patience and vision, and for the peace of the people and the country as a whole,” he stated.
Lamido urged El-Rufai to prioritize patriotism over personal grievances, cautioning against divisive politics.
“The right thing to do is to put patriotism first instead of showing anger towards others,” he advised.
He also reaffirmed that the PDP is actively working to rebuild itself following its loss in the 2015 presidential election, adding that the party’s commitment to reclaiming political dominance in Nigeria.
