Former Governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, has warned that Nigeria may descend into autocracy if the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the country’s major opposition party, collapses.
Speaking during an appearance on Channels Television’s Political Paradigm on Tuesday, Lamido emphasized the crucial role the PDP plays in preserving Nigeria’s democratic structure.
“If the PDP collapses, Nigeria will collapse. Where there is no opposition, then there will be an emperor. When the party collapses, then you have an emperor all over Nigeria, and all emperors are destroyed by their greed,” Lamido said.
He described the PDP as central to Nigeria’s political journey since the return to civilian rule in 1999, warning that the party’s fall would be equivalent to a collapse of the nation’s democratic legacy.
“The PDP is Nigeria’s history in the last 25 years, therefore, look at the bigger picture. If the party collapses, it is Nigeria’s history which collapses,” he said.
Lamido, a founding member of the PDP, stressed that without the efforts of the party in 1999 to restore democracy, President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) would not have emerged as president in 2015.
He also added that current President Bola Tinubu’s rise to power in 2023 wouldn’t have happened without the groundwork laid by the PDP.
He further asserted that President Tinubu needs a strong PDP to function effectively as a leader.
“More than anybody, Tinubu needs PDP to be chasing him, to be on his toes, but when it collapses, nobody will be chasing him; he will be chasing himself,” Lamido remarked.
He also dismissed any notion of leaving the PDP, despite internal crises within the party, reaffirming his loyalty.
Lamido did not spare Seyi Tinubu, the President’s son, accusing him of using poverty in the North to gain political favor through food donations.
He condemned what he described as opportunistic acts disguised as benevolence.
“You look at a person and then look at his character and what he stands for. Was he there two years ago, if he is so benevolent?” he asked rhetorically.
“Since when has he been going to the North to give out rice to people who are hungry? No, tell me.”
He continued: “It’s because he’s cashing in on the pain and the odium induced by his father. And therefore, the people have been conditioned by the poverty and suffering caused by his father. So, he is cashing in on that saying, ‘Take food’. Simple.”
“Was he there last year? His father is a Muslim. Was he ever there in the North in the last 20 years?” Lamido queried.
As the 2027 general election draws nearer, political maneuvering has intensified.
Amid internal party conflicts and leadership crises within the PDP, Labour Party, and alleged marginalization within the APC, some politicians are gravitating toward the Social Democratic Party (SDP) as a more stable platform.
A major development occurred on March 20, 2025, when opposition leaders including Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, and Nasir El-Rufai declared a coalition aimed at unseating Tinubu.
The group hopes to leverage the significant votes Atiku and Obi received in 2023, a combined 12 million votes, which is over four million more than Tinubu’s winning tally.
