In a fiery primetime interview on Arise TV on Saturday, former Jigawa State Governor and founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Sule Lamido, declared his readiness to align with any political force, regardless of its name or structure, to remove what he described as the divisive and incompetent government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“I am part of any arrangement, no matter the nomenclature or name, to remove the current government of incompetency, of insecurity, or of dividing the Nigerian family between North and South,” Lamido stated.

“I will be part of any arrangement, any chemistry, any configuration, whatever you may call it, if it’s going to remove this government that is on autopilot.”

When pressed specifically on whether he was part of the emerging Alliance for Democratic Action (ADA), Lamido stopped short of giving a direct endorsement but was emphatic about his determination:

“What you see, don’t panic. I don’t panic. I walk with my eyes wide open,” he said.

He accused the Tinubu administration of weaponising ethnicity and using state institutions to stifle the opposition.

“Today in Nigeria, we have a government that is dividing Nigerians along North and South, using institutions of the state to manipulate and coerce the opposition,” he said.

Speaking briefly on the crisis rocking the PDP, which has led to the defection of some key members, Lamido didn’t spare Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom, saying he turned his back on the party after benefiting from its platform.

He said, “I saw a program featuring the Governor of Akwa Ibom recently, and I just pitied him. Two years ago, nobody knew him. He was honoured and dignified by the PDP and made a governor. Now he’s renouncing his own history and legacy. It’s a pity.”

Speaking on President Tinubu’s June 12 Democracy Day speech, Lamido accused him of exaggerating and falsifying his involvement in Nigeria’s pro-democracy struggle.

“I find Tinubu’s rhetoric highly entertaining—the way he dramatises his role in Nigeria’s democracy. Luckily, we are all alive. We were all there.

“Tinubu only became relevant after Abacha took over. Before then, he was just a party secretary. With all due respect, he was part of those who supported Babangida and opposed June 12. His mother organised the Lagos market women to support Babangida,” Lamido said.

He credited others with taking real risks during the June 12 struggle.

“When Babangida faced resistance, Ayu, then Senate President, convened a meeting in Benin to affirm support for June 12. Babangida was angry and replaced him. People like Tinubu only became activists after Abacha. NADECO was not about democracy—it was about opposing Abacha.

“Tinubu and others fled the country. We stayed and fought Abacha. I was detained. The real fighters were those who stayed. NADECO came after the fight. They inherited the product but were not part of the process.

“Those advocating June 12 today were more concerned with the bathwater than the baby. They were not part of the process; they only picked the product. There is a distinction between the victory and the victor. NADECO was more about the victory,” the former governor said.

He also condemned the use of national symbols for partisan purposes.

“Today’s government is not a Nigerian government, it is a party government. How do you explain holding an APC function at the Villa, a national asset? It shows how low we have sunk,” he said.

The former governor was then asked about the comparisons between his own 2014 political moves and recent defections, such as those of Governor Eno and former Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki.

“Maybe I’m too old, but go check the history. The PDP crisis in 2014 was internal. We fought for internal democracy. We did not betray the party to join the APC with its legacy.

“In 1983, I left PRP to join NPP and ran for office. I resigned from the PRP. There was character and principle. In 2014, I told governors: if you want to leave PDP, resign. Don’t take PDP’s legacy with you.

“Today’s politics lacks depth, character, and honour. People like Governor Eno were unknown. Now they ride on the office. Remove the office, and they are nobody,” he said.

On the state of the PDP, Lamido insisted that the party remains alive, unlike the APC, which he described as having no real foundation.

“PDP is not dead. If PDP is dead, then APC is dead. Most of APC’s leadership are PDP products. Only Oshiomhole and Tinubu are the real APC. The rest are PDP. So, if we are dead, then APC is a ghost party,” he said.

Asked about supporting Atiku Abubakar in 2023 despite calls for southern representation, Lamido dismissed the regional argument.

“Please don’t bring North vs. South into my politics. I believe in Nigeria. I supported PDP, not Atiku, as a Northerner. In 1983, I supported Azikiwe. Go check my history,” he said.