Former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido has questioned former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s recent political maneuvers, claiming El-Rufai lacked political significance during the major party defections of 2014 and questioning his current abandonment of the APC.
Speaking during an interview with Channels TV from 10:20, he challenged El-Rufai’s initial claims of northern political leadership. “El-Rufai said they are the elders in the north and they can dictate the way north goes and that they should go into APC. As an elder, he has pushed the north into APC. Why is he not staying in the APC and canvassing that the north should be APC? Why is he leaving there now?” Lamido questioned.
The former governor drew a stark comparison between his political standing in 2014 and El-Rufai’s relative obscurity at the time. “In any case, in 2014 as a governor, I never left for APC and El-Rufai was just nothing then. Why should I leave PDP after I have stayed for so long in the party? I mean, it doesn’t make sense to me,” Lamido declared.
He emphasized his resistance to the widespread political migration that characterized the 2014 election period, when many politicians abandoned the PDP for the then-emerging APC. “In 2014, when the entire nation was moving to the APC, in the north and all over the country, the noise was for APC for change, and they called it all kind of names. If I refused to succumb to blackmail then, why should I go to APC or any party now?” Lamido asked.
Beyond the immediate criticism, Lamido has recently questioned El-Rufai’s character and ideology, particularly his ingratitude toward the party that nurtured his political career. The former Jigawa governor has argued that El-Rufai’s actions resemble a grandson claiming his grandfather knows nothing, despite the PDP being the party that gave him his political foundation and enabled his current status.
Lamido has emphasized that effective leadership requires patience, foresight, and dedication to national peace rather than emotional decision-making. He has particularly cautioned northern politicians against fighting President Tinubu out of anger or seeking revenge, stressing that leadership should prioritize the country’s well-being over personal interests.
