Sule Lamido, a prominent figure in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has criticized former President Muhammadu Buhari for allegedly favoring a Northerner as his successor, calling it a misstep given Nigeria’s current political climate. In an interview with the Nigerian Tribune on Saturday, Lamido expressed his views on the matter, stating that Buhari’s decision did not align with the nation’s political dynamics.
Buhari, who hails from Daura in Katsina State, served as Nigeria’s president for eight years from 2015 to 2023 before handing over to the current President Bola Tinubu, a native of the Western region. Lamido argued that after eight years of Northern leadership, it was not appropriate to push for another Northerner to assume the presidency immediately.
“You have done eight years for the North, and you wanted another Northerner for another eight years? No! Maybe later, but there are some dynamics which you cannot alter, not in Nigeria of today,” Lamido remarked, emphasizing the importance of balancing regional leadership in the country.
Lamido also reflected on the 2023 presidential election, noting that Buhari’s preferred candidate did not succeed. “The president of Nigeria, after being in office for eight years, lacked the courage to push through his anointed choice. He was there at the convention, and Tinubu, whom he never liked and never believed in, emerged. Tinubu knows that his victory wasn’t from Buhari, therefore, he owes him nothing,” Lamido stated.
He further observed that Tinubu’s rise to the presidency was against the odds, as he was not the preferred candidate of influential groups like Afenifere and former President Olusegun Obasanjo. Despite this, Tinubu managed to overcome all obstacles and secure the presidency.
Regarding the internal challenges facing the PDP, Lamido suggested that these issues are not unique to the party but reflect broader problems within Nigerian institutions. “It is a Nigerian thing. Whatever is happening in the PDP is happening everywhere else, in government institutions, even in newspaper organizations, wherever you see Nigerians,” he said.
He concluded by noting that the same individuals who make up the PDP also populate other political parties, including the APC. “So, the PDP is a Nigerian phenomenon and run by the Nigerian people, not by angels from heaven, and therefore, it is the same spirit whether in the APC or the PDP. Even if you go to the APC, the people you find there are all PDP,” Lamido observed.
