Sule Lamido, former governor of Jigawa State has said that the recent mass resignation of notable members of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) was because of frustration and humiliation occasioned by the party’s leadership crisis and the judiciary.
Reacting in an interview to the recent resignation of the former Imo State Governor, Emeka Ihedioha, Lamido stated that if the Supreme Court had not overturned the ex-governor’s election, he would have remained a sitting state governor.
Lamido said if the court had not insisted that Samuel Anyanwu was the national secretary when he (Anyanwu) contested the Imo State governorship election, the position of national secretary would have gone to another person from Imo State.
According to Lamido, “Emeka Ihedioha and other chieftains of the PDP that resigned from the party were humiliated and frustrated. They were humiliated by the leadership of the party, with the help of the judiciary.
“Ministers resigned to contest the election. Other government officials and even party officials resigned to contest elective offices”.
“Anyanwu ought to have resigned to contest the governorship election in Imo State, what did he (Anyanwu) do?”
“He held to the office of national secretary and contested for the governorship election. You cannot eat your cake and still have it back. You cannot appropriate the two positions. You are the national secretary and the governorship candidate at the same time. This is not done”.
“So, when the stakeholders from Imo state complained, the judiciary aided him and affirmed his position as National Secretary when he lost his governorship election”.
“So, Ihedioha and his group felt frustrated and humiliated by the action of the leadership of the party by failing to stand up for justice”.
“So, as a person, I don’t blame Ihedioha and his associates. I can understand why he and his associates left. Some external influences are tele-guiding the party.”
Speaking further on the defection of the former governor of Katsina, Ibrahim Shehu Shema, to the All Progressives Congress (APC), Lamido noted that the state was formally under the control of the All Peoples Party (APP), stressing that the influence of former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, made the PDP win the state in 2003.
