Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State yesterday described the chairman of the People’s Democ-ratic Party (PDP) Alhaji Bamanga Tukur as a deadly virus in the PDP that will lead to its demise.
Lamido said when former Head of State, retired General Abdulsalami Abubakar visited him ahead of the commissioning of the state’s judicial complex by Abubakar in Dutse.
“We are delighted to have the former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar here in Dutse. Your statesmanship and commitment made democracy a reality in 1999 by conducting a free and fair election. But looking back I am sure you are weeping inside over the kind of democracy we are practicing. Democracy has been cannibalized in Nigeria. The PDP crisis is a Nigerian crisis and all must unite and save democracy. Bamanga is a dangerous polio virus threatening the PDP and democracy in Nigeria and if not checked, it could lead to something else. Democracy has its processes and it must be adhered to”, he said.
Reacting to Lamido’s comment through his media aide, Oliver Okpala, Dr. Bamanga Tukur said such comments amount to indiscipline and disobedience to the nation’s cultural heritage which emphasises respect for elders and constituted authorities. He said Lamido’s socio-political comportment and utterances were not in consonance with the expected degree of relevance and discipline of a holder of the office of governor. The PDP chairman said: “A governor is expected to lead by example, show respect to elder statesmen and nationalists in his actions and utterances.”
But harping on the relevance of the recent defection from the PDP, Lamido tied the action of those involved to their disapproval of Tukur’s style of leadership, saying: “Those who left the PDP to join the APC love the PDP but had no choice. Bamanga’s impunity is a threat to PDP and democracy. My friends who left the PDP love the party but they had to leave out of pain and frustration. A situation where a party chairman is set up against the governor of a state does not augur well. It is time for all to unite and say no to PDP’s impunity. The PDP crisis is capable of terminating democracy unless people of conscience speak up.”
He said now it is crime to serve your people in Nigeria, noting that today’s judiciary is gradually being eroded, adding; “Their non-partisan status, their commitment to do justice to all...in our desperation to maintain political power we have used the judiciary by manipulating. In the last three weeks the government was virtually shut off, even civil servants who are innocent have been taken to Abuja. I am not claiming to be a super human being but where I stand is that a small thief will not catch me, a bigger thief will not catch me. If I stole N10 you stole N11. Today in Nigeria Sule Lamido and his family are the only thieves.”
Daily trust
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