The duo of the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom and former Minister of Special Duties, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki who currently lead two factions of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) don’t even know how the part was formed, former Governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido has revealed.
He revealed this in an interview with the DAILY TRUST published on Tuesday.
Lamido, a former Minister of foreign affairs recalled that both Wike and Turaki who are currently fighting for the soul of the once opposition arrow ahead, don’t know how the PDP came about.
The was established during the transition period leading to the Fourth Republic and registered in 1998. It held its first presidential primary in Jos, Plateau State, late in 1998 and Chief Olusegun Obasanjo emerged as its presidential candidate and won the 1999 presidential election on May 29.
It held power until 2015 when it was defeated by the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), late former President Muhammadu Buhari.
According to Lamido, “the PDP was founded by political leaders and thinkers. Leaders who knew what was Nigeria from independence. Those who know Nigeria as a country, people like Adamu Chiroma, Alex Ekwueme, Solomon Lar, Bola Ige, Dr Iyorchia Ayu, Abubakar Rimi, Professor Jerry Gana. I am the youngest among them.”
He said the PDP is “a party that Wike and Turaki had no idea how it was founded. So when you’re talking about a faction led by A or B, they have no idea how PDP was founded.”
He said Nigerians own the PDP, adding that Nigerians should disengage from these small names, it’s very important.
He further recalled that “in fact all the Nigerian political activists you know who are independent, submerged into PDP in 1998. Which means, it’s neither radicalism nor socialism or capitalism or liberalism. It’s clearly about a country called Nigeria which has been destined to play a role in this world.”
The former minister lamented the current situation plaguing the party, “things are against us and we have come this far. Right now, through litigations, through action, the only structure on ground now is the leadership under Abdulrahman Muhammed.
“Now, look at the tragedy: Those who convened as leaders in the convention to elect that leadership in Ibadan have all left the party. The chairman of the convention in Ibadan, Fintiri (Adamawa State Governor), has now gone to APC. My zonal governor, who is supposed to be my own leader. Who was also at the convention also left PDP for APC, Gov Kefas (of Taraba) left for APC, Caleb Mutfwang (of Plateau). So, all the governors who sat down and worked on the Ibadan convention have now abandoned the convention.
“Bala and Makinde (Governors of Bauchi and Oyo States) are the only two remaining. They are there now. They have no idea where they are going. Isn’t it? So it means, because they have no stake; a mother knows the pain of childbirth. If a mother sees her own child dying, she is terribly pained. So I said, look, whatever it is, we have got our own shortcomings. We cannot be perfect. We have gone through a lot of crises.
He warned that the party may lose out in the 2027 general election when he said “the way things are now, if we don’t take time, if we don’t do something urgent, based on the Electoral Law, if we don’t meet it up, the party may soon lose everything.”
