2019: Lamido Replies Atiku, I’m Your Senior, Won’t Step Down For You

A former governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, has responded to a statement in which former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, said the former will would step down for him in the 2019 presidential race.

Atiku had on Monday said he expects Lamido to step down for him because he is his elder brother.

Both men are running for the ticket of opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) alongside about ten other aspirants.

Atiku said this at the headquarters of the PDP in Dutse, Jigawa while addressing some party leaders in the state during his ongoing campaign tour.

Mr Abubakar told the gathering that his mother was from Jigawar Sarki, a village in Dutse Local Government Area of Jigawa State before her family migrated to Adamawa State where he was born.

“Sule Lamido is my junior brother and will learn from what transpired between Shehu Musa and Umaru Musa,” he said as he recalled how the late Musa was eventually persuaded to sacrifice his ambition so as not to jeopardise the chances of his elder brother.

But the statement seem not to go down well with the former Jigawa governor, as he responded to Atiku in a statement by his media aide, Adamu Usman on Tuesday. He said he would not step down.

Lamido said he should not be the one to concede the ticket to the former vice president, owing to the fact that he came into politics before Atiku.

“While it is true he (Mr Abubakar) is older than me age-wise, I’m senior to him politically because I was in the House of Representatives in 1979 when he was an employee of Nigeria Customs Services.

“And if age is the criterion for standing election then he should drop out for Buhari,” the statement read in parts.

According to Mr Usman, Mr Lamido had been “patient, loyal, committed and consistent” in politics despite all the odds and his travails.

“Even if Lamido did not shows interest to contest, PDP should have called him to be the flag bearer and if there is anyone the other aspirants should step down for, it should be Sule Lamido because he has the goodwill, political experience and capacity to confront the ruling party, APC.

“Also if Lamido is to step down, why would he aspire in the first place? Sule Lamido is out to run for the president come 2019, God willing,” he said.