Why we dumped G-5 govs – Lamido, Aliyu

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By Henry Umoru & Wole Mosadomi ABUJA – Governors Sule Lamido of Jigawa State and Babangida Aliyu of Niger State, yesterday, took on their Kano counterpart, Mallam Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso over his accusation that the two governors betrayed five other governors on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, who agreed to dump the party following their irreconcilable differences with the leadership of the party.

Governor Aliyu, Niger State

Sule Lamido

It will be recalled that Governors Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko of Sokoto; Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara; Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano; Babangida Aliyu of Niger; Sule Lamido of Jigawa; Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State and former Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State, who were members of the G-7, within the ruling party opted out to form what was known then as the new PDP. While the other five governors teamed up to form the All Progressives Congress, APC, Governors Sule Lamido of Jigawa and Babangida Aliyu of Niger returned to the PDP.

Speaking on their exit from the PDP weekend, Governor Kwankwaso said both Aliyu Babangida and Sule Lamido betrayed the other five governors by returning to the PDP.

Why I betrayed them— Lamido

Responding to the accusation while speaking to journalists in Abuja, Governor Lamido said: “I am a betrayer, confirmed. I betrayed them. I did, yes. I am aligning myself to what he said. I am aligning my answer to what he said, go and find out from him. But I did that in the interest of the nation.”

In his response, Governor Babangida, however, said there was never a time the G-7 group planned to dump their party(PDP) for another party and that there was no basis for any of the members to label him as a betrayer.

He said at the time he led the G-7 group, the objective was to resolve the leadership problem in his party and not to dump it as some of them have done.

A statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary Israel Ebije in response to Governor Kwankwaso’s claim that he (Babangida) was privy to the G-7 decision to decamp to APC, Aliyu said there was never a time the issue of dumping their party for whatever reason was discussed.

He described the defection of some of them to the All Progressives Party as a personal decision which he as leader could not query and as such those of them who refused to defect with them should therefore not be seen as traitors.

Aliyu however said he has no regrets in leading a group that brought sanity to the PDP at a time the party was passing through difficulties. He said their effort was indeed nationalistic and a reflection of maturity of Nigerian democracy.

I never planned to dump PDP— Babangida Aliyu

His words: “Let me state in categorical terms that I never discussed with the G-7 governors over issue of decamping to the APC. I led the group primarily to stabilize the PDP. At that time, the PDP was having challenges hinging on impunity which had to be addressed.

“Let me, therefore, intimate that based on principle, I never planned to abandon the PDP for another party. It is also important to note that the G-7 achieved its objective of repositioning the PDP which was at the time passing through leadership challenge. Therefore I had no reason to leave, besides our effort brought the ruling party back on its feet.”

He said he will remain committed to the PDP and would work towards ensuring that the party wins all elective positions in Niger State.

Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of Kano State while speaking in Kano, weekend, said: “Everyone knows that Governor Lamido was part of us, he was the leader of the group. He took us to a certain height before choosing otherwise and we were all surprised by his final decision.

“But, if there is anybody who would criticise our exit, it shouldn’t be Lamido and the Niger State Governor. After all, our judgment would decide the outcome of the general election. However, we know that PDP is no longer the monster it used to be, and I tell you they are ready to do anything to have someone like me who was considered as an irritant back in their fold.”

 

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Why we dumped G-5 govs – Lamido, Aliyu

Lamido, Mu’azu meet over Obasanjo

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The Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido and the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, met in Abuja on Wednesday on how to convince former President Olusegun Obasanjo to return to the party.

Ward 11 chairman, Usman Oladunjoye tearing Obasanjo’s PDP membership card and the torn card

Investigations by our correspondent in Abuja on Thursday indicated that the meeting took place at the Abuja residence of Mu’azu.

The meeting, it was learnt, was at the instance of Mu’azu, who was said to be worried about the political implications of Obasanjo’s decision to dump the PDP.

Obasanjo, while announcing his decision to leave the party where he was once its Chairman of Board of Trustees, on Monday, also ordered that his membership card be torn to shreds.

At the meeting between the governor and the national chairman of the party, it was learnt that Mu’azu expressed sadness over the turn of events in the party, which has been ruling since the country returned to democratic rule in 1999.

One of the aides of the chairman, who was at the meeting, said the former governor of Bauchi State was “visibly sad that the once-cohesive party” was becoming a joke in the country.

It was learnt that at the meeting, the national chairman of the party sought the opinion of Lamido on how to approach the tirade being thrown by the former President at the party and its Presidential candidate, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.

The chairman’s aide, who spoke with our correspondent on the condition of anonymity, said that the governor warned the party against trading accusations with the former President.

Lamido is considered as one of the governors very close to the former President.

The chairman’s said, “The governor warned the party against fighting the former President. He also asked Mu’azu to warn some members of the party, including a governor from the southern part of the country to stop abusing the former President.

“He told the chairman that the party and the President do not have the capacity to fight the President, saying that before the former President would open his mouth to say a word, he has his facts.

“Besides, he added that there are other sympathisers of the former President in the party and that any attempt to rubbish him (Obasanjo)would make many of them uncomfortable.”

But the party has said it would not relent in its desire to have the former President return to its fold.

The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Olisa Metuh, who spoke with our correspondent in Abuja on Thursday, said that having led the party to victories in the past, it would be wrong for the party to let its former chairman of Board of Trustees leave like that.

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Lamido, Mu’azu meet over Obasanjo

Lamido’s boycott of Jonathan’s campaign worries Presidency

The Presidency is worried over the attitude of Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido to the campaign of President Goodluck Jonathan, The PUNCH has learnt.

Sule Lamido

Lamido, who was said to have been interested in contesting the party’s presidential primary, was among those allegedly forced to forgo their ambition because of the adoption of President Jonathan as the party’s sole candidate.

A lady, Prof. Akasoba Duke-Abiola, who defied the party’s endorsement of Jonathan and paid for its expression of interest form, was denied the form and could not participate in the party’s presidential primary.

Since then, Lamido is being seen as not committed to the Jonathan’s 2015 project.

The governor had at the different occasions complained about the refusal of the President to keep to the promises he made to the people of his state in 2011.

He had also vowed that keeping to such promises would determine if he and the people of the state would vote for Jonathan during the February 14 presidential election.

Though the President and the PDP had named him as the North-West presidential campaign co-ordinator, Lamido was absent when the President inaugurated the campaign committee in Abuja on Tuesday.

Lamido also refused to attend the flag-off of his party’s presidential campaign in Lagos on Thursday.

Apart from that, the PDP governorship candidate in Jigawa, Alhaji Ibrahim Ringim, was also not at the event to collect the party’s flag from the PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu.

Ringim was the chief of staff to Lamido. He resigned from the position to contest the party’s governorship primary.

A Presidency official said that Lamido only busy campaigning for Ringim as his successor.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “He (Lamido) has not told us why he refused to be at the rallies. Rather, he’s busy campaigning for his candidate.

“Though that is also alright, but we expected him to also identify with the President in the state and the zone, where he is the coordinator.”

A member of the National Working Committee of the PDP, who also spoke on the issue, said that the governor was under watch.

But the National Secretary of the party, Prof. Wale Oladipo, defended the governor’s refusal to attend the rallies.

He said the governor had been busy campaigning for the President in his zone, adding that the party had no doubt that the governor would deliver the state and the zone to the PDP.

“We are happy with the governor. We also knew why he and our party’s candidate could not make it to Lagos for the rally. It was because the programme was an impromptu one. It was due to communication gap. But we are saying that he is working for us in the state,” Oladipo said.

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Lamido’s boycott of Jonathan’s campaign worries Presidency