Former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, has accused the All Progressives Congress of using his name to gain political sympathy in the state ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Lamido made the allegation on Tuesday while reacting to Vice-President Kashim Shettima’s claim at the APC presidential campaign rally in Dutse that all four former governors of Jigawa State, including him, were now supporting the ruling party.
Shettima had declared that Jigawa was firmly behind the APC, listing Lamido, a founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party, among the former governors allegedly associated with the ruling party.
However, Lamido dismissed the claim as false, arguing that the APC was attempting to associate itself with prominent opposition figures because it lacked sufficient achievements to showcase in Jigawa and other parts of the North.
“This claim is false and unfounded, insisting that it’s meant to gain sympathy,” he said.
Expressing surprise at Shettima’s declaration, Lamido questioned why he would support the APC in 2026 when he was not part of the party in 2014.
“I am not aware of what Vice-President Kashim Shettima was saying. For God’s sake, I was not with the APC in 2014, so why would I be with it now in 2026?” he queried.
The former governor challenged the ruling party to identify its achievements in Jigawa and the wider Northern region, accusing it of relying on the names of influential politicians to gain public support.
Lamido, however, said he would consider joining the APC before the 2027 elections if President Bola Tinubu’s administration successfully addressed insecurity in the North.
He specifically listed kidnapping, Boko Haram insurgency, banditry and other security challenges as conditions that must be tackled before he would consider defecting to the ruling party.
“I swear to God, if they end kidnapping, Boko Haram, banditry and all the evils in the North, I will definitely join the APC because whatever we are doing, we are doing it for our people,” he said.
