Jigawa State governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido has admitted that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lost the March 28 Presidential election to Opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) because the party made what he called costly mistakes.
Governor Lamido who fielded questions from newsmen shortly after he had a close door meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan at the Presidential Aso Villa last night said: “PDP made some mistakes. I have been saying so. It made very very costly mistakes and we have not been able to properly manage our successes. But to me I don’t think quitting PDP is the answer.”
Lamido made it clear that the election showed that Nigerian people have said yes to the APC, adding: “they have spoken in very loud and unmistaken ways. The votes are very very unambiguous and so we respect their choice and their rights and we praise (General Muhammadu) Buhari for being able to take the ticket from the PDP even though I am not happy.”
He said that in the March 28 election, it was Nigeria that won and not Buhari, adding: “none of them lost but Nigeria won and is enough of the anxiety, enough of the worry and the fear in Africa. It was so intense you will not believe it as confirmed by the Chairperson of the African Union (AU) and other international friends who have called to thank Nigeria for really saving Nigeria and also saving Africa. So I also say thank to Nigeria for saving Africa and saving Nigeria.”
He said that whoever becomes the president of Nigeria is a Nigerian President and not a president for a particular region, stressing that this is how it should be.
Sule Lamido thanked Nigerians for standing for Nigeria, even as he also admitted that the result of the Presidential election would have a bandwagon effect on the April 11 gubernatorial election in the country.
“There is tendency of bandwagon effect but it is up to us to work very hard.”
The governor gave assurance however that whatever happened, PDP would remain solid and would bounce back.
“I’m sure if you know the party’s history, what it went through in the last 16 years, it has the capacity to bounce back.” [myad]
