Former Foreign Affairs Minister and ex-Governor of Jigawa State, Alhaji Sule Lamido, has issued a dire warning: Nigeria’s democracy is on the brink — and the destruction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) could be the final blow.
Speaking after his election as a National Delegate during the PDP’s Local Government Congress in Birnin Kudu, Jigawa State, Lamido said the increasing collapse of opposition structures signals a dangerous future for the country.
“If you destroy PDP, you destroy Nigeria,” he declared. “A democracy without a strong opposition is simply a dictatorship in disguise.”
Lamido accused President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of misusing state institutions, including INEC, the police, and the EFCC, to crush dissent, warning that this tactic would ultimately backfire.
“When government machinery is weaponized against rivals, it’s no longer politics — it’s self-sabotage,” he said.
He emphasized that no political power is eternal, adding:
“There is no covenant between Tinubu and God guaranteeing him 2027. Power is not inherited; it is earned through the people.”
Rejecting calls for a new opposition coalition, Lamido argued that only the PDP has the experience, structure, and legitimacy needed to lead Nigeria forward.
“Coalitions built on anger and bitterness will collapse. True political strength is organic — and PDP remains Nigeria’s most grounded party.”
In a sharp rebuke to defectors, Lamido warned that aligning with the APC out of fear would end in regret, as history would not be kind to those who abandoned democracy for survival.
“The fear of EFCC is temporary. The judgment of history is forever,” he said.
Lamido’s passionate stand underscores growing fears that democracy in Nigeria is being eroded — not through open coups, but through the slow, deliberate dismantling of political opposition.
Former Jigawa state governor, Sule Lamido at the Local Government Congress
