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"I’m a Betrayer, I Betray my Friends For the Interest of the Nation" –Lamido

Published

10 years ago

February 25, 2015

Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State on Tuesday described himself as a betrayer.
But he said he only betrayed his friends in the interest of the country.
Lamido spoke with journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, when he visited the national headquarters of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party.
He was at the party’s headquarters where he had a meeting with the members of its National Working Committee behind closed doors.
It was learnt that the meeting centred on the party’s presidential campaign in the North-West, where Lamido is the coordinator.
At the end of the meeting, Lamido was asked by journalists whether he agreed with his Kano State counterpart, Rabiu Kwankwanso, who described him(Lamido) as a betrayer.
The Kano State governor said the Jigawa State governor betrayed his fellow governors in six other states who were aggrieved while in the PDP.
Apart from the two governors, others who were aggrieved in the PDP then were the governors of Rivers (Rotimi Amaechi), Kwara (Abdulfatah Ahmed), Niger (Babangida Aliyu), Sokoto (Aliyu Wamakko) and the then Governor of Adamawa State, Murtala Nyako.
However, all the other governors except Lamido and Aliyu had moved to the APC.
Kwankwaso said he expected Lamido to join them and said without defecting with them, the Jigawa State governor remains a betrayer.
Lamido said he would not join issues with his Kano State counterpart, but said that he refused to defect because of national interest.
He said, “I am a betrayer. I betrayed them. I did. Yes. I am aligning myself to what he said. Go and find out from him. But I’m a betrayer in national interest.”
It was rumoured then that Lamido was planning to join the presidential race and was said to have been establishing contact in furtherance of this.
However, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s arrest of two of his sons for alleged corruption was said to have made Lamido back down on his ambition.
Nevertheless, Lamido said he and some governors who defected to the APC remain friends.
He specifically mentioned Amaechi, who he described as his mutual friend.