The Northern Youths Movement (NYM) has sharply criticized former Governor of Jigawa State, Alhaji Sule Lamido, for his recent remarks about key figures in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), particularly the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Chief Nyesom Wike. Lamido had referred to Wike as a “small boy in PDP history” and questioned his whereabouts in 1999.
In a statement released on Sunday, signed by the group’s Chairman, Mallam Ishaya Jato, the NYM reminded Lamido that those he referred to as “children” and “small boys” were, in fact, the very individuals who helped prevent the collapse of the PDP after the 2014 rebellion, in which Lamido himself played a prominent role before eventually backing out.
“Lamido must remember that the very individuals he calls children were the ones who kept the PDP alive after the 2014 rebellion,” the group stated. “It is ironic that those who were children when the PDP was formed have now matured and become leaders, while some of the elders from 1998 still act like children.”
The NYM further criticized Lamido’s leadership, pointing to his failure to present anyone other than his own son as the PDP gubernatorial candidate in Jigawa State. “After eight years as a Minister and Governor, Lamido had no other candidate to offer from Jigawa but his own son,” they said. “If Lamido, who became an elder at 50, still considers 57-year-old Wike a ‘small boy,’ we wonder what he himself has become after 36 years in politics—an ancestral PDP elder?”
The youth group also pointed to Lamido’s previous disparaging comments about former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan, as well as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. They recalled that two years ago, Lamido publicly belittled Obasanjo, calling him an “unknown prisoner” when the PDP was formed, and that in 2019, Lamido had referred to Atiku as his junior in politics.
“Lamido has consistently undermined political figures like Obasanjo, Jonathan, and Atiku, even as a sitting governor. He continued his attacks on President Jonathan even after leaving office,” the NYM statement read.
The group speculated that Lamido’s recent attacks on Wike were rooted in frustration over the PDP’s loss in the 2023 presidential election. “Since Lamido and others misled Atiku into believing he was ‘President-in-Waiting’ before the 2023 election, he has been venting his anger on Wike, just because Wike and other governors refused to be treated as children in their own party,” they added.
The PDP has yet to recover from its loss in the 2023 presidential election, with ongoing leadership disputes continuing to affect the party’s unity.
