Former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido has declared his decision to boycott all meetings of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) until Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and others he described as impostors are expelled from the party.
Lamido, a founding member of the PDP, was noticeably absent at the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held Tuesday, May 27, in Abuja. The NEC, the party’s highest decision-making body, includes current and former presidents, governors, party officials, and other prominent stakeholders.
Speaking to journalists, Lamido accused Wike of undermining the PDP, despite being a major beneficiary of the party’s platform. “Wike is a disaster. He is a product of the PDP, made relevant by the party, nurtured and celebrated by the party. But today, he turns around to destroy it,” Lamido said.
The former governor expressed discontent over the continued inclusion of Wike in PDP affairs. “I cannot sit in the same meeting with impostors. Until the party removes these people, I will not attend PDP meetings. I am still a loyal member, but I won’t dignify this rot,” he stated.
Lamido also condemned the recent sealing of the PDP national secretariat in Abuja by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), attributing the action to Wike’s influence. “To seal the PDP secretariat, an institution that gave you life, is un-African, un-Nigerian, and a total abuse of power,” he said.
He criticised the party’s national working committee (NWC) for what he described as a failure to act decisively against members who had allegedly breached party rules. “What exactly is the NWC afraid of? Why hasn’t Wike been expelled? Why is Samuel Ortom still on the board of trustees after publicly endorsing Tinubu? These are fundamental breaches. If this party is to survive, it must cleanse itself,” he said.
Lamido praised President Bola Tinubu for issuing a 14-day ultimatum to FCT ground rent defaulters, while alleging that Wike ordered the closure of the PDP headquarters in an attempt to gain favour from the president. “Ironically, the man Wike is trying to impress was the one who called him to order. That tells you everything. Even Tinubu is beginning to see that Wike is unreliable, without tradition and pedigree. And I assure you, he will soon abandon him too,” Lamido said.
He also warned against the threat of a one-party system in Nigeria, calling it “state-sponsored sabotage,” and blamed internal sabotage for the deepening crisis in the PDP, which has lingered since 2022.
