Former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido and former Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi have stated that if they had been governors, they would have questioned President Bola Tinubu about the current situation in the country.
This was said by the former Rivers State governor in Abuja on Tuesday during the public launch of Lamido’s book, “Being True to Myself.”
Former Nigeria Governors Forum Chairman Amaechi stated their time was characterized by strong resistance and a dedication to holding the Federal Government responsible.
“This morning, I asked you (Lamido) what is going on in Nigerian politics and the country at large. Would it have happened when we were governors?” he remarked. No, you said. And the response is no.
“We would have challenged the president and the government. Your radicalism was that extreme. Our Governors Forum functioned in this manner. That’s how motivated we were to change things.”
Amaechi also reflected on his political relationship with Lamido, noting that they were allies during their time in government.
The former minister, however, said their paths diverged over strategy in opposing then-President Goodluck Jonathan.
“We were quite good friends in government. We had our bad times when we disagreed. I made the mistake of assuming he was as radical as I was. So, he was one of the governors I clung to when it came to radical decisions.
“The last one before we broke ranks was when we all agreed to go against President Jonathan. We formed a committee of governors and others. At the end of the day, he went to find a new party, the SDP. We said, ‘If we go to the SDP, we will lose the election. Let’s hang on to this one called the APC.’ He disagreed and left us. That’s where we parted ways,” he said.
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