Chief Olusegun Obasanjo with his new presidential choice Alhaji Sule Lamido, Governor of Jigawa State.
“You know you can help somebody to get the job, but you cannot help him to do it. If somebody cannot do the job, we have Sule Lamido who we are confident can do the job,”
~ said former President Olusegun Obasanjo Wednesday May29, 2013, to a crowd of would-be investors, dignitaries and ordinary folks in Dutse, capital of Jigawa State at the opening of the First Jigawa State Economic and Investment Summit at the Sir Amadu Bello Hall at the state secretariat.
This is clearly an endorsement of the presidential ambition of Alhaji Sule Lamido, the Governor of Jigawa State from the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP).
The posters of Alhaji Lamido and Rivers State Governor, Hon. Chibuike Amaechi for the 2015 presidential election have been circulating Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory. And Chief Obasanjo's statement has only reinforced the rumours of power struggle in the leadership of the PDP with two major factions swayed by their political godfathers.
Chief Oluṣẹgun Mathew Okikiọla Arẹmu Ọbasanjọ, GCFR, a retired general of the Nigerian Army has ruled twice as head of state of Nigeria, first as a military ruler between 13 February 1976 to 1 October 1979 and later as elected President from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2007. He is a member of the Club de Madrid, a group of more than 80 former leaders of democratic states who are committed to strengthening democratic leadership and governance and also a member of the Africa Progress Panel (APP), a group of ten distinguished individuals who advocate at the highest levels for equitable and sustainable development in Africa.
Chief Obasanjo remains the most powerful leader of the ruling party and has been instrumental in the selection and election of his successors since he left office. He resigned as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the PDP on April 3, 2012, but still dictates the leadership of the ruling party. And he has openly shown his lack of confidence in President Goodluck Jonathan who has criticized Chief Obasanjo's dictatorial actions as Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria during his two terms in office.
Endorsing Alhaji Sule Lamido is an open opposition to the second term ambition of President Jonathan. But may not augur well for the future of their PDP in the political leadership of Nigeria in view of the increasing threats of the coalition of the opposition parties with the merger of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) led by Owelle Rochas Okorocha, the billionaire Governor of Imo State who has not hidden his own presidential ambition.
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