Governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido on Wednesday declared that President Goodluck Jonathan cannot continue to run the Peoples Democratic Party like his business enterprise, as the party is collectively owned.
Speaking during an interview session with the Hausa Service of Vision FM Radio in Abuja, Lamido, who is a prominent member of the breakaway faction of the party and is currently being wooed by the All Progressives Congress (APC), said all the actions of the party’s national chairman as well as those of the PDP are geared towards returning President Jonathan, a situation kicked against by some members of the party and a section of Nigeria.
Lamido, who lamented the anti-democratic posture of Tukur and President Jonathan as well as the numerous threats and insults on governors, added that if a Divisional Police Officer (DPO) could be sent to assault governors, it means that the average Nigerian is not safe,
“If we are nothing to the president, to have been sent a DPO, the same can be applied to other governors”, Lamido said.
“The party is not for Jonathan alone. Nobody would have absolute control of the party, or have its monopoly, so that we become subservient to him. The party is for all of us”.
He accused the president of using Tukur against his perceived enemies, thinking that the party belongs to him.
“We say no. It is ours, as even Obasanjo, Babangida and Gowon all wanted to continue, but had to leave the stage at separate times”.
Lamido said the group of seven governors currently having a running battle with the president are taking action because of their concern that the country may explode if nothing urgent is done to salvage it.
Emphasising that the country is just some distance away from danger, he added: “In 1999, we only had three parties: the PDP, AD and APP. Then AD shrinked to form ACN. APP became ANPP and now become part of APC.
“So it is only the PDP that is in existence today. So we cannot allow it to also follow similar path”.
He accused President Jonathan of unfulfilled promises to states, mentioning his failed promise to construct an airport in Jigawa State as one of such promises before the 2011 election. He said that only N900m out of the N1.1bn Federal Government contribution was released to the state as part of the airport project, but quickly added that this is not the reason he is against the president.
