2 months ago
21 ARTICLE AD
A former Governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, has named David Mark, a former President of the Nigerian Senate, as the best person for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairmanship position.
Naija News reports that Lamido made his opinion known while responding to speculations regarding an offer allegedly made to him to remain in the PDP camp.
There were speculations that Lamido, one of the founding fathers of the former ruling party, was offered the chairmanship of the PDP, but he turned down the offer.
“Who gave me the offer?” Lamido asked while responding to the speculations in a recent interview with The Tribune.
In an attempt to clear the air about the said offer to him, Lamido said: “I know some people in the PDP who can’t stand Sule; they can’t stand me, no matter what. There is also peer envy today in Nigeria. What I want you to know is that if I go there, I will go with my own kind of baggage. My baggage is what some people stand to hate.”
The Best-person Would Have Been David Mark
Having denied the speculations that he rejected the offer to lead the PDP, Lamido said: “But I preferred David Mark because it (the PDP chairmanship) was zoned to the North Central and to me, it is about maturity, consistency, exposure, experience, humility, and commitment to the job. David Mark was my choice. I would have loved him to be there because as chairman, he could command respect across the blocs. The governors would not see him as somebody they could challenge. That office needs someone with the capacity and skills.
“He could work with the governors, and they would defer to him and vice versa. The other elements in the PDP would also support him and work with him.
“I know that I am very, very temperamental. I may not be the best candidate because in times of crisis, you are looking for somebody who can be calm and tactical. Based on the zoning arrangement, the best person would have been David Mark.”
Asked why Mark declined the PDP chairmanship position, Lamido said: “I don’t know. He must have his reasons. I appealed to him to make the sacrifice, and we would be there for him, but he told me, ‘Sule, I know my worries and my fears’. I also knew my worries, and I refused. But again, it was never zoned to my zone in the first instance. Even if you put me there, I have my own baggage in terms of character and ways of doing things. I can be intolerant. I can be rude, unintentionally.”
Commenting on the speculations that the bigwigs who lost out in the APC and the PDP are discussing an alternative platform and whether he was involved in the discussion, Lamido said: “You see, I am coming from the old order and I am very, very conservative and I have a leg in history. Today, if you mention Obafemi Awolowo or Nnamdi Azikiwe to this new generation, they get confused. They will tell you they don’t know them, they aren’t conversant with history and couldn’t have acquired their values.
“If you ask me that question, you are simply reacting to the current event. Those who formed the APC tell me their shared ideology. Tell me what Atiku, Saraki shared with Tinubu ideologically. Tell me what Amaechi, Murtala Nyako, and Aliyu Wammako have in common with Buhari. People in the PDP who walked into the APC tell me what they have in common with either Tinubu or Buhari. Nothing but desperation to grab power. The whole thing is failing because the purpose wasn’t governance but to gain political power to their own advantage.
“So, if today we are trying to react because of the failure of the government, it means our reaction is not sincere; it is not genuine. However, if we have to forge (an alliance), that’s fine. But what do we have in common? If we are going to form an alliance, we must put Nigeria first. If we share a common commitment to the national interest, yes, we can forge an alliance. Some moral forces must drive it, but if the entire desire is just to grab power and not to follow moral principles, it will end up like the APC. Whatever alliance is forged must be about Nigeria first. I won’t be part of any special-purpose vehicle that will abandon Nigeria. I want something that will first arise from genuine and sincere concern about Nigeria. That should be our rallying point.”
Whatever I Say About Tinubu’s Govt Won’t Be Viewed As Fair
Lamido, who was asked to assess the incumbent administration led by Tinubu, noted that his judgement of the government in power would not be considered fair regardless of his view.
He said: “Morally speaking, I was in government, my party was in government and then the APC came to Nigerians and was demonising the PDP and then pushed us out of government. Now that you are asking me to assess this administration, how do you think Nigerians will see my judgment? You see, we should be objective.
“I was in government, we were removed, and they took over, and you asked me to assess them. I don’t think it is fair for me to do that. I am in the party that lost to Tinubu. No matter what I say now, it won’t be viewed as fair on Tinubu.”
