2023: Lamido Chides Northern Elders, Rubbishes Saraki, Mohammed’s Endorsement

By Gideon Njoku

A chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party, Sule Lamido has taken an exception to the endorsement of former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, and Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, by Northern Elders of the Party, and former President Ibrahim Babangida, as consensus candidates for the North against the 2023 Presidential election.

The two men were endorsed  during a meeting held at the Minna home of Babangida on Friday, April 22, 2022.

Announcing the endorsement of Saraki and Mohammed, Professor Ango Abdullahi said they arrived at the decision after the screening of the candidates, having consulted stakeholders in the three Northern Senatorial Zones. He said what they did would make for a rancour-free National Convention, and advised both Saraki and Mohammed to have a meeting to decide which of them would represent the Northern PDP as its consensus candidate.

But Lamido, a former Governor of Jigawa State, has distanced key PDP stakeholders in the North from the endorsement, thus rubbishing the Minna meeting.

In a statement issued on Saturday, personally signed by him, Lamido said those who attended the Minna meeting and endorsed both Saraki and Mohammed as consensus candidates for PDP, North, spoke for themselves and not the Northern PDP.

He said having consulted key PDP  stakeholders in the 19 Northern States and Abuja, no stakeholder was in the know of such a meeting, or such an endorsement.

He said consultations are still on-going for a consensus candidate, if that will be possible.

Following is the text of Lamido’s statement.

“The attention of key stakeholders of the Northern States is drawn to the reports in the media that some Northern Elders have shortlisted two of our prominent and deserving aspirants as consensus PDP Presidential Candidates.

“Having widely consulted Party leaders across the 19 Northern states and FCT, it is hereby stated to our teeming Party members and the general public that what is reported in the Media is only the personal opinion of those who issued the statement and not the position of the PDP members in the North.

“Discussion are ongoing with all the aspirants in our party with a view to having a National consensus, if possible, or, at least, working towards having a smooth acrimony-free National Convention.

“The position of the Northern Elders is not only injurious to the North but equally injurious to the Northern Aspirants.”

Already, both former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, and the Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, both aspirants, had, in separate statements, distanced themselves from the Minna consensus endorsement.