Former Jigawa State Governor and founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sule Lamido, has stirred fresh political debate after delivering a blunt assessment of Nigeria’s increasingly uncertain political climate ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a strongly worded statement posted on his Facebook page titled “My Dilemma in Today’s Murky Political Environment!”, Lamido expressed concern that Nigeria may be drifting away from the ideological foundations that shaped the country’s return to democracy in 1999.
The elder statesman said he is deeply troubled by what he described as the collapse of political loyalty, the rise of fluid alliances, and the absence of clear ideological direction among Nigeria’s leading political actors.
According to Lamido, the current political landscape has become difficult to understand as politicians frequently switch camps with little distinction in principles or vision.
His remarks became more controversial when he argued that nearly all the major political blocs currently competing for power are dominated by individuals whose political careers were built within the PDP.
Lamido claimed that the ruling All Progressives Congress, the opposition-backed African Democratic Congress, and the emerging Nigeria Democratic Congress are populated largely by former PDP members who once rose through the party’s ranks during its years of dominance.
He cited Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Secretary to the Government of the Federation George Akume, former APC National Chairman Abdullahi Adamu, former Kano State Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, and former Gombe State Governor Danjuma Goje as examples of prominent politicians now aligned with the APC despite their PDP roots.
Within the ADC coalition, Lamido mentioned former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, former Sokoto State Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, and former Cross River State Governor Liyel Imoke among longtime PDP figures now active in opposition coalition politics.
He also referenced Bayelsa political heavyweight Seriake Dickson, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of the NNPP, and Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi as part of the evolving political realignment shaping the road to 2027.
“Whatever titles or status they hold were conferred on them by PDP. Whatever visibility they now command is all thanks to PDP,” Lamido declared.
Beyond partisan politics, Lamido’s comments reflected broader concerns about the health of Nigeria’s democracy.
Recalling the political atmosphere following the annulment of the June 12 election and the transition from military rule in 1999, he said leaders from different backgrounds united under the PDP to stabilize the country, rebuild public trust, and restore Nigeria’s international standing.
According to him, that generation succeeded in rebuilding democratic institutions and strengthening Nigeria’s influence within regional bodies such as the Economic Community of West African States and the African Union.
Lamido argued that the sense of national purpose that defined the early years of the Fourth Republic has now been replaced by political survival, shifting loyalties, and personal ambition.
“We knew where we were in 1999. Do we know where we are today, twenty-seven years after?” he asked.
The statement has already generated strong reactions across Nigeria’s political space, with analysts interpreting it as both a criticism of the fractured opposition and a warning about the country’s uncertain political future ahead of 2027.
Some observers believe Lamido’s intervention highlights growing fears among older PDP powerbrokers that continued opposition fragmentation could strengthen the re-election prospects of President Bola Tinubu while weakening any unified alternative movement.
Others argue that his comments expose a deeper crisis within Nigeria’s political system, where ideology has become secondary, defections are increasingly common, and political parties often function more as temporary vehicles for power than institutions guided by enduring principles.
As defections, coalition talks, and strategic alliances continue to reshape Nigeria’s political landscape, Lamido’s unusually candid remarks may have reignited a national conversation about whether the country’s democracy still possesses the unity and vision that defined the beginning of the Fourth Republic.