The Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, on Tuesday admitted that he betrayed his fellow Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governors who later decamped to the All Progressives Congress in November 2013.
Mr. Lamido said this after holding a closed-door meeting with the PDP National Chairman, Adamu Muazu, at the party’s secretariat, Abuja.
The five governors, called G-5, who decamped consist of Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Ameachi; Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed; Sokoto State Governor, Aliyu Wammako; Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwanso; and the impeached Governor of Adamawa State, Murtala Nyako.
Originally G-7, consisting of the aforementioned and then Mr. Lamido and Niger State Governor, Aliyu Babangida, the governors staged a walk-out from an August 2013 Special National Convention of PDP, alongside other party stalwarts, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former party Secretary, Sam Jaja and former Kwara Governor, Bukola Saraki.
The group formed the “new PDP” immediately. But the five Governors, Messrs Ameachi, Wammako, Ahmed, Nyako and Kwankwanso defected to opposition APC while Messrs Lamido and Babangida, surprisingly, chose to remain in the PDP.
This caused bad blood leading the Kano State Governor, Mr. Kwankwanso, to accuse Messrs Lamido and Babangida of betraying the other five governors.
He said all seven governors had an agreement to leave PDP, following a disagreement they had with the party hierarchy.
“Everyone knows Governor Lamido was part of us, he was the leader of the group. He took us to a certain height before choosing otherwise and we were all surprised by his final decision.
Mr. Lamido corroborated Mr. Kwakwanso’s submission saying, “Yes, I betrayed them. I am a betrayer. Confirmed.”
When asked why he betrayed the group, he simply responded, “I align myself with what he (Kwankwanso) said.”
The Jigawa State governor said his recent meeting with Mr. Amaechi had nothing to do with party politics. He said the Rivers Governor remains his friend and colleague and above all fellow compatriot with whom he meets occasionally to review issues.
Mr. Lamido said he would not join the APC.
“How would I join APC? If wishes were horses, there won’t be APC,” he said.
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