Jonahan will Certainly Defeat Me if I Run for President – Gov Lamido
Editor
Posted On Dec 7, 2014
Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido has said that one of the reason he decided not to contest for the presidency is because he knows he cannot defeat Jonathan as the primaries.
The governor, who was believed to be nursing a presidential ambition before he dropped out to support president Goodluck Jonathan said this while speaking in an interview with Vanguard newspaper.
Lamido said with the enormous powers the president wields under our constitution and political culture, he will certainly be defeated if he ran against the president.
Below is an excerpt of the interview:
You were running for president. You were warming up for it. Then suddenly you withdrew for President Jonathan. What made you withdraw? And what role will you play in your party? Will you be active or merely passive during the presidential campaign of the PDP?
Let me correct you, and I want to underline it: I have never, ever said I am gunning for the presidency. Never. Some Nigerians just thought I was good enough to be Nigeria’s president. They started promoting the idea, and it caught on, and people thought it was me. I feel flattered that some people find me worthy of being asked to run for president, and I thank my Creator, my Allah, for giving me that standing. I thank them, but it was not me who was running for president. Secondly, as a party man, I strongly believe in party culture and party tradition. I have to take cognisance of the peculiar political culture of Nigeria, where occupiers of political office tend to transform into political leaders.
A councillor who was nobody before being elected becomes the political leader of that ward while in office. He begins to lord it over the ward chairman and executives. The same thing happens at the state level. A governor who was not being noticed before as an individual uses that office to also become political leader of his state. At the federal level, a president who was not even known before uses the huge office he occupies… the aura of the office, the power of the office distorts his thinking, and therefore the person becomes the political leader not only of his party but also of the whole country.
But these are public offices, under certain rules and regulations, conferred with some powers to function within a defined period. When President Obasanjo was in office, he radiated the power and glory of the presidential office. But when he left and handed over to the late President Umar Yar’ Adua, he was almost eclipsed by the new man on seat. That public office, from top to the bottom, should not be confused for leadership. It is transient. Leadership is not transient, but political office, within its powers, is. But in Nigeria, elected office now combines the power of service and leadership in the hands of the current occupant of the office. So if I run against such an incumbent, with the enormous powers he wields under our constitution and political culture, he will certainly defeat me.
There is no way a governor can beat a sitting president to the presidential ticket of the party. The same thing applies in the states. There is no way in a party arrangement that an outsider can come and defeat a governor seeking re-election at the party primaries. He can go to another party, collect his ticket and he can win at the general elections, but certainly not within the party. If, for instance, I go with the yearnings of my supporters, I will only cause them more heartache and pain because I will be defeated by the president. There are some facts which cannot be ignored.
It will also give my opponent some credibility and legitimacy because he will say: ‘I contested with Sule Lamido and I defeated him’. I will end up becoming frustrated because the process is not going to be transparent. If I want to hurt my party, or perhaps hurt Nigeria, I will say I will run. They will bring EFCC, ICPC after me, but no problem. I will raise all the sentiments, North, South and what have you. I know the areas I can touch if I mean my party and my country ill-will. At the end of it, I will be defeated.
Then, I will refuse to concede defeat; I will say there were no level grounds. I will storm out and address a press conference… I refuse to do that. I love my party, PDP. And I love my country, Nigeria. I can never allow my personal aspiration to blind me to the dangers it can bring on my party and my country. I will ruin my party, I will put my country in danger, but I will also be crippled politically. Why should I willingly go through that? A country that made me what I am, gave me space to grow? I will do everything in my power to pay back Nigeria for what Nigeria has made me. I will work hard to see that Nigeria is stable, united and strong, so that as Nigeria has enabled me to grow, other Nigerians will also have the opportunity to grow to the best of their potentials, to be governors, ministers, parliamentarians, academicians, captains of industry, scientists, professionals and what have you.
To answer your question, it was people who felt I had the qualities that were promoting the idea that I should run. Having opted out of the race, it should not in any way dilute my commitment to my party and the progress of the country. It will not.
Will you support the president fully during the campaigns, or will you play ‘siddon look?’
What we are going through today in Nigeria should go beyond partisan politics. Only yesterday, there were bomb blasts in Kano. How many people died? How many were injured? People in their place of worship. No matter how you see it, sometimes there are difficult situations. My party and my Federal Government must assist me in ensuring my safety. Right now, we are overwhelmed by grief.
Government must be seen to have the political will and commitment to confront this insurgency. Even though I believe in Nigeria, I am also coming from a political environment. And when a certain arrangement seems to be undermining me, ignoring the circumstances under which I live in my environment, it becomes very, very difficult for me to give the required political support. Government should also be willing and able to encourage me to support it. It should be able to provide me the comfort I need. Immediately after the Kano mosque bombing, text messages began to circulate.People are saying, ‘the North should not forgive Murtala Nyako, Shehu Shema, Sule Lamido and Isa Yuguda’, they listed four governors for supporting President Goodluck Jonathan to be president in 2011.
You were running for president. You were warming up for it. Then suddenly you withdrew for President Jonathan. What made you withdraw? And what role will you play in your party? Will you be active or merely passive during the presidential campaign of the PDP?
Let me correct you, and I want to underline it: I have never, ever said I am gunning for the presidency. Never. Some Nigerians just thought I was good enough to be Nigeria’s president. They started promoting the idea, and it caught on, and people thought it was me. I feel flattered that some people find me worthy of being asked to run for president, and I thank my Creator, my Allah, for giving me that standing. I thank them, but it was not me who was running for president. Secondly, as a party man, I strongly believe in party culture and party tradition. I have to take cognisance of the peculiar political culture of Nigeria, where occupiers of political office tend to transform into political leaders.
A councillor who was nobody before being elected becomes the political leader of that ward while in office. He begins to lord it over the ward chairman and executives. The same thing happens at the state level. A governor who was not being noticed before as an individual uses that office to also become political leader of his state. At the federal level, a president who was not even known before uses the huge office he occupies… the aura of the office, the power of the office distorts his thinking, and therefore the person becomes the political leader not only of his party but also of the whole country.
But these are public offices, under certain rules and regulations, conferred with some powers to function within a defined period. When President Obasanjo was in office, he radiated the power and glory of the presidential office. But when he left and handed over to the late President Umar Yar’ Adua, he was almost eclipsed by the new man on seat. That public office, from top to the bottom, should not be confused for leadership. It is transient. Leadership is not transient, but political office, within its powers, is. But in Nigeria, elected office now combines the power of service and leadership in the hands of the current occupant of the office. So if I run against such an incumbent, with the enormous powers he wields under our constitution and political culture, he will certainly defeat me.
There is no way a governor can beat a sitting president to the presidential ticket of the party. The same thing applies in the states. There is no way in a party arrangement that an outsider can come and defeat a governor seeking re-election at the party primaries. He can go to another party, collect his ticket and he can win at the general elections, but certainly not within the party. If, for instance, I go with the yearnings of my supporters, I will only cause them more heartache and pain because I will be defeated by the president. There are some facts which cannot be ignored.
It will also give my opponent some credibility and legitimacy because he will say: ‘I contested with Sule Lamido and I defeated him’. I will end up becoming frustrated because the process is not going to be transparent. If I want to hurt my party, or perhaps hurt Nigeria, I will say I will run. They will bring EFCC, ICPC after me, but no problem. I will raise all the sentiments, North, South and what have you. I know the areas I can touch if I mean my party and my country ill-will. At the end of it, I will be defeated.
Then, I will refuse to concede defeat; I will say there were no level grounds. I will storm out and address a press conference… I refuse to do that. I love my party, PDP. And I love my country, Nigeria. I can never allow my personal aspiration to blind me to the dangers it can bring on my party and my country. I will ruin my party, I will put my country in danger, but I will also be crippled politically. Why should I willingly go through that? A country that made me what I am, gave me space to grow? I will do everything in my power to pay back Nigeria for what Nigeria has made me. I will work hard to see that Nigeria is stable, united and strong, so that as Nigeria has enabled me to grow, other Nigerians will also have the opportunity to grow to the best of their potentials, to be governors, ministers, parliamentarians, academicians, captains of industry, scientists, professionals and what have you.
To answer your question, it was people who felt I had the qualities that were promoting the idea that I should run. Having opted out of the race, it should not in any way dilute my commitment to my party and the progress of the country. It will not.
Will you support the president fully during the campaigns, or will you play ‘siddon look?’
What we are going through today in Nigeria should go beyond partisan politics. Only yesterday, there were bomb blasts in Kano. How many people died? How many were injured? People in their place of worship. No matter how you see it, sometimes there are difficult situations. My party and my Federal Government must assist me in ensuring my safety. Right now, we are overwhelmed by grief.
Government must be seen to have the political will and commitment to confront this insurgency. Even though I believe in Nigeria, I am also coming from a political environment. And when a certain arrangement seems to be undermining me, ignoring the circumstances under which I live in my environment, it becomes very, very difficult for me to give the required political support. Government should also be willing and able to encourage me to support it. It should be able to provide me the comfort I need. Immediately after the Kano mosque bombing, text messages began to circulate.People are saying, ‘the North should not forgive Murtala Nyako, Shehu Shema, Sule Lamido and Isa Yuguda’, they listed four governors for supporting President Goodluck Jonathan to be president in 2011.
Stay updated with Abusidiqu.com, in partnership with NIGERIANEWSBEAT. Follow us on TWITTER or be our fan on FACEBOOK
Do not hesitate to leave your opinion in the comment section below.
To contact Abusidiqu.com for Article Submission and Advertisement or General inquiry, send a mail to info@abusidiqu.com
