Kwankwaso faults Lamido’s comments on G- five governors

Fresh facts are now emerging on what led to the breakup of the G-Seven Governors Forum that protested during the Peoples Democratic Party’s special convention in 2013. Leader of the governors G-Seven group, Sule Lamido of Jigawa State, who is now the North-West Coordinator of President Goodluck Jonathan’s Presidential campaign team, recently said his five colleagues’ exit from the party will not affect the progress of the party. Lamido declared that the exit of Chibuike Amaechi (Rivers), Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso (Kano), Aliyu Wammako (Sokoto), Abdulfatai Ahmed (Kwara) and the impeached Murtala Nyako of Adamawa state, from PDP is inconsequential and of no effect to the success of the party in the forthcoming general election. But Kwankwaso took exception to Lamido’s utterances on the five governors, describing him as a betrayer. He said, “I don’t want to talk too much about the Governor of Jigawa State. Everybody know that he was part of us. He worked so hard. In fact, he was the leader of the group. He took us to a level that we felt there was no going back, and we were surprised that he had different things in mind. He stayed in the PDP and we felt we had no business being in PDP. “I think if there is anybody who should criticize our exit, I believe it shouldn’t come from him or the Governor of Niger State. I don’t want to join issues with any of my colleagues. Nigerians are the best judges on our actions and utterances and of course on what we have done. And I believe that judgment will be part of what will happen during the next elections. “What we have done is not a secret, it is not something that anybody can hide and I believe that we have done the right thing, we have deepened democracy. PDP is no more the monster it used to be where nobody was important, where people were not respected, even the governor of the most populous state who won election almost single-handedly within the party to come back as a governor. “I was not being respected and they see me as an irritant and so on, but I can tell you, now if there is anything they can do under the sun to take me back to their party, they will do. I can assure you now that they know the importance of Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso in Nigerian politics. I have no business talking about my colleagues. You can bring another topic.” Kwankwaso also described the PDP as a dying elephant, saying the exit of former President Olusegun Obasanjo is an indication that the party is already dead. He said Obasanjo’s resignation confirmed the evil that is going in the party. The governor said, “Obasanjo has got supporters not only in Ogun State, not only in western states, but across the country, and for him to come out to say what he said (because most of us who have worked closely with him know that he is somebody who tolerates things). I have not seen him since he decided to leave the PDP, but I can comfortably say that so much must have happened in the party for him to come out and tear his card and said that he has left the party. Kwankwaso also described Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose’s recent statements against the All Progressive Congress presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, as reckless and unguided, saying such utterances should not emanate from a person who called himself a leader.