***Slams Tinubu’s Vanity Tour to St. Lucia
Elder statesman and founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Sule Lamido, has reaffirmed his loyalty to the party he helped build, vowing to fight internal saboteurs and collaborate with a broad coalition to unseat President Bola Ahmed Tinubu—all without defecting.
In a fiery interview in Abuja, the former Foreign Affairs Minister declared:
“The PDP is sick, but I will not leave it. I will stay and fight. If we all run, the vultures will inherit the carcass.”
He also launched a blistering critique of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent visit to the Caribbean island nation of St. Lucia, where he was conferred with a ceremonial knighthood—calling it a “vain show of self-gratification unbecoming of a serious leader.”
Lamido did not hide his frustration with current events in his beloved party, blasting some former allies as “ingrates” and accusing them of sabotaging the PDP from within.
“The PDP dignified them. We gave them visibility, wealth, and influence. Now, on behalf of their paymasters, they are tearing it apart. These are political orphans trying to eat the womb that birthed them.”
Despite mounting calls for him to defect or join a new coalition, Lamido remained resolute:
“The PDP is sick, but I will stay and fight for its survival. Abandoning it now would be like killing the future of Nigeria’s democracy. If we all leave, the vultures win.”
He described Tinubu’s trip as:
“A tragic reflection of Nigeria’s shrinking global stature under Tinubu’s emperor-like governance.”
“Why would a serious leader chase vanity honours while his house is burning? Nigeria is a large, proud nation. What bigger honour is there than being its president?”
In his signature blunt style, Lamido argued that Tinubu’s quest for international recognition is not about diplomacy or national interest, but personal validation:
“Lagos, where Tinubu ruled, is richer and more historic than the small nation he visited. This is not leadership—it’s a desperate attempt to rewrite his history and mask a hollow legacy.”
Lamido likened Tinubu’s leadership to that of a modern-day monarch, saying the president has:
“Reduced Nigeria to the size of his own tiny personality.
He governs like a Pharaoh, not a democrat. The institutions—courts, security agencies—are now tools of fear and compliance. Offend him, and he crushes you.”
The former Foreign Affairs Minister lamented that Nigeria’s international reputation has plummeted under the current administration:
“We have no image anymore. Tinubu wants to wear the robes of dignity abroad while stripping Nigeria bare at home. It’s a contradiction.
What’s more honourable than being Nigeria’s president? What more does he want?
His lust for recognition comes from trying to cover a troubling past. These trips, titles, and ceremonies are his way of rewriting history. But Nigerians are watching.”
Lamido also called out the increasing personalization of governance under Tinubu, warning:
“When a leader turns state affairs into personal pageantry, the people suffer.
This obsession with foreign validation while Nigeria battles insecurity, economic hardship, and institutional decay is unacceptable.”
He stressed that leadership should be defined by sacrifice and service—not spectacle and self-glorification:
“He rules like a Pharaoh. He captures the courts, controls the security services, and crushes opposition. This is not democracy—it’s tyranny in fine robes.”
Recalling a recent incident at the PDP national secretariat, Lamido shared how he, a founding father of the party, was denied access to the building:
“At my age, I had to walk almost a kilometre just to reach the gate. That’s my own party! That’s why I stay—to fight for what we built. If we don’t fight, the scavengers will feed on our legacy.”
He specifically called out Nyesom Wike, a former PDP stalwart now aligned with the ruling APC, for allegedly disrespecting the very party that made him:
“From council chairman to minister, PDP made Wike. If he truly respects his political roots, he should pay the ₦7 million dues to his mother party—not strip it bare.”
He, however, said PDP will outlive Wike.
“The situation in the PDP today is very pathetic. Those the PDP dignified—people the party brought into the limelight, gave opportunities and prosperity—have now turned against it. They’ve become ingrates. They want to destroy the party on behalf of their paymasters outside.
The PDP is under attack from within by those who once benefited from it and from outside forces—like vultures waiting to feast on its carcass. It’s very painful.”
“I went to prison fighting for democracy during the Abacha era. I wasn’t in NADECO, but I stood against Abacha’s attempt to transform himself into a civilian president using GDM, UNCP, and other parties. I resisted. Some of us were even asked to write letters of support to Abacha—we refused.”
“We formed the PDP as a legacy to save Nigeria. I can’t abandon it now, no matter the pressure, no matter the betrayal. Abandoning the PDP to these ingrates would be like killing the future of Nigeria’s democracy.”
On David Mark’s decision to leave the PDP, Lamido said:
“He has made his own sacrifice by stepping away. Mine is different—I choose to stay and fight. We’re all making sacrifices in different ways for the same objective.”
“Look, if you’re a serious leader of a serious country, you don’t chase vanity honours while your house is burning. Nigeria is a large, proud nation. What bigger honour is there than being its president?
But Tinubu has shrunk Nigeria to his own tiny image. He governs like an emperor, not a democrat. Lagos, his domain, is bigger in wealth, history, and influence than the small nation he went to.
This hunger for recognition comes from a deep need to rewrite or cover up his past. It’s not about service. It’s about personal validation.”
“This is exactly why I said I must stay to fight for PDP. The vultures are circling.
“Look at the ₦7 million saga. If Wike truly respects his political roots, why can’t he pay that for the party that made him everything—from council chairman to minister? He’s stripping the party that gave birth to him. But mark my words—PDP will outlive Wike.”
“Today, all institutions are captured. Go to court—Tinubu is there. Go to security agencies—he’s there. Everyone is afraid. He rules like a Pharaoh. You offend him, he crushes you. Ask those who dared to cross him. You survive only if you bow and submit completely.”
“It’s laughable and tragic. A Nigerian president, meddling in local state issues, setting political conditions. That’s not democracy. That’s dictatorship.
Tinubu’s support for Wike against Fubara is political interference, plain and simple. He claims to be a democrat yet acts like an emperor.
A true democrat would let the people decide. But he uses state power to enforce loyalty and suppress dissent.”
Lamido explained that zoning was a PDP creation, born out of necessity in 1998 after the annulment of June 12:
“It was a healing mechanism—a temporary measure to restore trust. But now, it’s become an albatross. We should have outgrown tribal and regional sentiments.
Leadership should be about competence and vision, not geography. What has the North gained from producing the most presidents if the region remains underdeveloped?
If the coalition produces Obi or anyone else committed to rescuing Nigeria, I will support them. But I remain PDP.”
He concluded firmly:
“PDP is my emotional and political home. I’ve sacrificed too much to abandon it. Others may try to destroy it, but I will stay and fight. If we all leave, the vultures win.
We must support the coalition. We must all work together to defeat the APC. The future of Nigeria depends on it.”