Former Jigawa State governor and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sule Lamido, has declared that his longstanding friendship with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will not prevent him from opposing the president in the 2027 elections.
Lamido made this clear in an interview with the BBC, days after he and Tinubu were seen laughing and exchanging pleasantries at the wedding of former Zamfara governor Abdulaziz Yari’s son in Kaduna. The interaction had sparked speculation about Lamido’s political leanings.
According to Lamido, cordiality does not mean political alignment. “Yes, Tinubu and I are friends, and we know each other very well. But politically, we will continue to fight. My commitment is to the opposition and to uniting Nigerians behind an alternative vision for the country,” he said.
The PDP stalwart added that his recent meeting with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar should also be viewed in the same light. “Atiku and I formed the PDP; when he was Vice President, I was Minister of Foreign Affairs. What is wrong when Nigerians come together to discuss the state of their country?” he asked.
Lamido, who has been one of the most vocal critics of the All Progressives Congress (APC) since the Buhari era, stressed that opposition politics remains vital to Nigeria’s democracy.
His remarks underscore his resolve to work with other opposition figures to challenge Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, despite personal camaraderie between the two leaders that dates back to their days in the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the 1990s.
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