Former Governor of Jigawa State and founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Sule Lamido, has called for the immediate and uncompromising expulsion of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, from the party, declaring him a “political disaster” and “enemy within” whose continued presence threatens the very survival of the PDP.
In a no-holds-barred interview with some select media, Lamido expressed deep concern over what he described as the systematic erosion of the party’s founding values, warning that the PDP was being hollowed out from within by people who no longer uphold its principles of loyalty, collective responsibility, and sacrifice.
“Wike is a disaster. He is a product of the PDP, made relevant by the party, nurtured and celebrated by the party. But today, he turns around to destroy it,” Lamido said. “To seal the PDP secretariat—an institution that gave you life—is un-African, un-Nigerian, and a total abuse of power.”
Lamido condemned Wike’s justification of the act based on his financial contributions to the party.
“So what if he funded the party?” he asked. “If a son clothes his mother, does that make the mother his servant? Wike’s thinking is warped. He lacks the cultural and moral grounding that our political tradition demands.”
He also took a swipe at the PDP’s National Working Committee (NWC) for failing to act decisively, questioning why someone openly undermining the party remains untouchable.
“What exactly is the NWC afraid of?” Lamido queried. “Why hasn’t Wike been expelled? Why is Ortom still in the Board of Trustees after publicly endorsing Tinubu? These are fundamental breaches. If this party is to survive, it must cleanse itself.”
The former Foreign Affairs Minister did not spare other senior figures he sees as complicit, particularly former Benue Governor Samuel Ortom and other governors who have switched allegiances while maintaining a hold on PDP structures.
“I cannot sit in the same meeting with impostors,” Lamido declared. “Until the party removes these people, I will not attend PDP meetings. I am still a loyal member, but I won’t dignify this rot.”
He praised President Bola Tinubu for reportedly ordering the reopening of the PDP secretariat after it was sealed, suggesting that Tinubu may have already begun to see through Wike’s antics.
“Ironically, the man Wike is trying to impress—the president—was the one who called him to order. That tells you everything. Even Tinubu is beginning to see that Wike is unreliable, without tradition, without pedigree. And I assure you, he will soon abandon him too.”
On the broader implications for democracy, Lamido warned that allowing such acts of sabotage to go unchecked weakens not just the PDP but Nigeria’s multiparty democracy as a whole.
“The attempt to kill off opposition parties is not natural political evolution; it’s state-sponsored sabotage,” he warned. “They are using institutions like the EFCC to blackmail people into the APC. That’s an abuse of state power, and it’s dangerous—for the country and for Tinubu himself.”
Lamido also responded to suggestions that the PDP’s current crisis is rooted in past leadership failures and the entry of opportunists without party discipline.
“The decline began when people with no understanding of the PDP’s foundational values joined us. They came with money and ego, not with service and sacrifice,” he said. “They started acting like they own the party because they funded a few things. That’s not how parties work. That’s how businesses work.”
He called for a national, not just northern, coalition of opposition parties, stressing that Nigeria’s challenges cut across regions and must be addressed collectively.
“Let’s not call it a northern coalition,” Lamido emphasized. “This is a Nigerian crisis. The hunger, the pain, the anger—they’re everywhere. What we need is a national coalition to save Nigeria, not another sectional alliance.”
As the PDP struggles with internal divisions and external pressures, Lamido’s voice stands out as a clarion call for introspection, discipline, and renewal.
“The PDP built this country after the military era. It brought peace, unity, and democracy. It must not be allowed to fall into the hands of those who neither understand its history nor care about its future,” he concluded.
