ABUJA, Nigeria — Former Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido, has declared a personal boycott of all Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) meetings until the party expels the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and others he described as “impostors”.
Lamido was conspicuously absent from the PDP’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, in Abuja, a gathering widely seen as critical for the party’s direction amid its ongoing internal strife.
Speaking to journalists the same day, Lamido accused Wike of being a destabilising force within the PDP and blamed the party’s national leadership for what he described as its failure to uphold discipline and integrity.
“Wike is a disaster,” Lamido said.
“He is a product of the PDP, made relevant by the party, nurtured and celebrated by the party. But today, he turns around to destroy it.”
The NEC is the PDP’s highest decision-making organ and includes a broad mix of current and former leaders, national officers, and party elders.
Lamido, a founding member and influential voice in the PDP, stated unequivocally that he would not share the same platform with individuals he believes have compromised the party’s values.
“I cannot sit in the same meeting with impostors. Until the party removes these people, I will not attend PDP meetings,” he said.
“I am still a loyal member, but I won’t dignify this rot.”
He also condemned the Federal Capital Territory Administration’s recent sealing of the PDP national secretariat in Abuja — an action widely attributed to Wike’s leadership in the FCT.
The party had described the sealing as politically motivated.
“To seal the PDP secretariat, an institution that gave you life, is un-African, un-Nigerian, and a total abuse of power,” Lamido said.
Criticising the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), Lamido questioned why disciplinary measures had not been taken against members accused of working against the party during the 2023 general elections.
“What exactly is the NWC afraid of?” he asked.
“Why hasn’t Wike been expelled? Why is Samuel Ortom (former governor of Benue) still on the board of trustees after publicly endorsing Tinubu? These are fundamental breaches. If this party is to survive, it must cleanse itself.”
He also suggested that Wike’s recent actions, including the sealing of the party headquarters, were attempts to endear himself to President Bola Tinubu, whom Lamido praised for issuing a 14-day ultimatum to defaulting FCT landowners.
“Wike ordered the closure of the PDP headquarters to curry Tinubu’s favour,” Lamido said.
“Ironically, the man Wike is trying to impress was the one who called him to order. That tells you everything.”
“Even Tinubu is beginning to see that Wike is unreliable, without tradition and pedigree. And I assure you, he will soon abandon him too,” he added.
Lamido also warned that Nigeria risks sliding into a one-party state, which he termed “state-sponsored sabotage”, as internal divisions within the PDP continue to widen.
