…Says he’s ready to work within, outside PDP
Former Foreign Affairs Minister and PDP chieftain, Sule Lamiɗo has accused President Bola Tinubu of using state institutions to force opposition members to defect to the ruling APC through intimidation and harassment.
Speaking to newsmen in Kano on Wednesday, Lamiɗo claimed the administration deploys state apparatus against opponents, with corruption charges mysteriously dropped once politicians join the APC. “No matter your crime, once you join the APC, you will be forgiven”, he alleged, calling it a “serious danger to our democracy”.
The former Jigawa governor warned that Tinubu’s government is deliberately creating divisions between Nigeria’s regions for political gain, undermining national unity and trust.
According to the PDP leader, the deployment of state apparatus against the opposition posed a threat to democracy. “Today, Tinubu is using state institutions to crush the opposition through intimidation, blackmail, harassment, and government patronage,” Lamiɗo alleged.
The former governor of Jigawa State also claimed that such harassment was evident in corruption charges against opposition politicians, whose sins are forgiven once they defect to the ruling APC.
He lamented the challenges of insecurity, stability, unity, and trust besetting the country as a result of the use of state institutions by the government to undermine democracy, just as he warned that without mutual trust and unity among Nigerians, the country cannot make progress.
The ex-minister further alleged that the government was deliberately encouraging divisive tendencies such as separating the North-Central from the rest of the North and creating divisions between the South-East and South-South geo-political zones for political gain.
While remaining loyal to the PDP despite its problems, Lamiɗo said he’s open to working with any political arrangement “within or outside” the party that can save Nigeria from APC rule in 2027. However, he criticized current opposition coalition efforts as merely “a gathering of individuals” rather than institutional unity.
On calls for new state creation, Lamiɗo dismissed the idea, arguing it won’t solve Nigeria’s pressing issues of insecurity, poverty, and regional divisions.
