Lamido Warns Defectors: “Those Joining APC Out of Fear Will Regret It”
Former Governor of Jigawa State and stalwart of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Sule Lamido, has cautioned that the ongoing weakening of the opposition poses a serious threat to Nigeria’s democracy.
Speaking after his election as a National Delegate during the PDP Local Government Congress in Birnin Kudu, Jigawa State, Lamido said the spate of defections from the PDP was “very ominous” for the nation’s future.
“In their wisdom, my people elected me as a delegate, not because I needed it, but because experience is needed at a time like this,” he said.
Lamido expressed concern over what he described as a systematic assault on opposition parties, alleging that key national institutions, including the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the police, and security agencies, were being manipulated to suppress dissent.
He further accused President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of using federal agencies, such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to intimidate opposition politicians.
“If APC, as a political party, fights the PDP, that’s normal; but when the Federal Government under APC uses national institutions against the opposition, that’s dangerous. It’s not just APC members fighting us; it’s the government and the President himself,” Lamido said.
Highlighting the importance of credible opposition for the survival of democracy, Lamido warned that dismantling the PDP would set Nigeria on a “path to self-destruction.”
He described the wave of defections to the APC as a “suicidal alliance,” predicting that many of those defecting out of fear would eventually regret their decision and return to the PDP.
Lamido urged aggrieved politicians to return to the PDP, which he described as Nigeria’s most organised and people-driven political platform.
“If you destroy the opposition, you destroy the nation,” he concluded.
