Party’ll win elections if members unite – Sule Lamido

Sule Lamido, a former governor of Jigawa State, also spoke to Weekend Trust on a wide range of issues affecting the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)

The PDP has been passive since it lost the 2015 presidential election. Do you think it can rise again?

The fall of the party occurred in 2014 when it betrayed itself; simple. I have been saying that if you look at our presidential elections from 1999 to 2011, the total votes of the PDP were more than the votes of other parties put together. This means that in 2014, it was not the APC that won the election, it was the PDP that defeated PDP. In 2014, those who were dignified by the party were the people that turned around to desert it because of few misgivings about the government of Jonathan.

We could not be tolerant; we could not be patient. We were willing to prick our eyes or nose so that tears would come out from our own eyes, but the eyes and the nose are also on our head. So, if because of some mistakes within the PDP you destroy it, you are also destroying yourself. The PDP did not lose any election. Members of the PDP, former presidents, vice president, Senate president, speakers and former governors and ambassadors were the ones who converged into the APC and destroyed the party and burnt their own house.

The PDP can win elections any day if we are able to come back together as brothers and sisters having the heart to forgive one another. So, it was not APC’s victory, it was the PDP defeating PDP. The APC wouldn’t have been in power no matter how you configure it. Bringing the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and any other party wouldn’t have been able to beat the PDP. The records are there.

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Before the 2015 election, you visited the then national chairman of your party, Adamu Mu’azu, and expressed reservation about how his predecessor, Bamanga Tukur, handled the G7 governors who later formed the NewPDP. You offered to lead reconciliation to bring back those that left the party. What happened afterwards?

At that time, they were being too emotional. It was either disappointment with Jonathan or something was wrong with the party. So, yes, I tried but they said they would not come back because something was wrong in the party.

The PDP has a constitution, norms and culture of doing things, so I said let’s govern the party based on these principles and let them contest, bearing in mind that there is no way a governor would defeat an incumbent president; it is not possible. It is just like saying that a local government chairman would defeat a governor. No matter what you do, the president has an awesome power to override anything he wants, but then, let the system be transparent, inclusive, fair and not vindictive. But the process was divisive, vindictive and not transparent and was not based on the norms of the party and its constitution.

Why is it difficult for the PDP to discipline erring members?

That is a very big question. The erring members are those who make the most benefit out of the PDP; they are the leaders of the party. They are not ordinary Nigerians or voters. The erring members are former presidents, vice president, governors; I mean leaders who invented the PDP. They are supposed to lead by example and understand the legacies of the party and what is ahead of it.

When the father of a household goes wrong, how can the children be the ones to discipline him? It is difficult for children to sanction their father; it is the father that needs to reflect on what he has done – whether it is right or wrong so that he will not destroy his house and leave a bad legacy for his children to follow, denying them a future. If he makes amends, he will regain the confidence and trust of the house.

Let those people come back and let’s forgive one another. But if you are accusing somebody of doing the wrong thing and he is not sanctioned, we will continue drifting.

There was an allegation that the disposition of Atiku Abubakar towards the party in 2023 led to the current situation. For example, some persons said he insisted on getting the party’s presidential ticket. Secondly, he refused to pick Nyesom Wike as running mate and also ignored calls for the sack of the immediate past national chairman of the party, Iyorchia Ayu. What is your take?

In a political party, there are procedures and processes to be followed; and rightly or wrongly, somebody was produced as a candidate based on the process followed. That candidate had the right to choose his running mate. So, stop blaming anybody for our failures; we have all failed. Something went wrong. Was there no 2014 before the 2015 elections? What I am saying is based on what we had at that time. Our norms and regulation produced the candidate called Atiku Abubakar and we campaigned and lost. In 2014, we also had a situation where others like governors did the same thing. It was a repetition of what happened; therefore, he who goes to equity must go with clean hands. If you are accusing others of doing what they did in 2023, remember that a similar thing happened in 2014.

The PDP has conducted congresses and elected new executives; can this bring respite to the party ahead of 2027?

I sincerely pray and wish that we lay a new foundation with these congresses because the wards are the frontline of defence of the party. If your first line of defence is defective, then it means we are already conquered and cannot go to any war. I have been saying that in the ward congresses, we should put people of great honour, integrity and character.

Although we are forgiving people, those who betrayed the party should not come back and seek for positions. We are putting a new set of young people all over Nigeria, a younger generation, so that by the time we go to war, they can defend us. The same goes to local government, state and national levels. That has been my prayer. I think the concern in the party is how to restore it to its past glory, which means putting people in the wards based on character and honesty. By the time we put this in place, it means that other things would be a walkover.

You have repeatedly said that you would not leave the PDP because you are one of its founding members; do you still maintain this position?

We need to reflect as individuals leading their own families in our communities, towns, regions, zones and the country, that something defines a leader within the household. This means that a leader must be somebody of sterling qualities based on his religion. There is what we call quality of leadership in all the religions. How can I leave a political party that honoured and dignified me; appointed me a minister and made me a governor based on the sweat, efforts and contribution of Nigerians? Whatever I am today in terms of visibility is all thanks to the PDP and its members who worked hard to win elections in 1999. Do you think that I would now denounce my history and betray them? What is the essence of being a leader in the house or community?

I cannot leave a party that has been there for me and made me what I am in my life, at least politically. What I went through – the persecution and humiliation – under Jonathan, who thought I was his main rival politically, and therefore, threatened to destroy my family by sending the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) after me, as well as the personal embarrassment I was subjected to, which caused me pains – could not make me abandon what I thought was right. So, no matter what, I am the same Sule that I have always been. No matter what you call it, I will not leave the PDP because I cannot bury myself.

Even if I want to go, my son will not follow me. And I cannot go and come back as they are doing now; it doesn’t make sense. It takes away your honour and integrity. It makes you empty. We want people to be our reference point, a role model in integrity and honesty. People should stand for their generation to also grow and become what we have been. We cannot be moving from one party to another; I cannot do that.