Former Jigawa State governor and founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sule Lamido, has shared a revealing account of how the late Chief Bola Ige confronted northern leaders over their sincerity in opposing the regime of General Sani Abacha.
In his recently released autobiography, Being True To Myself, launched on May 13, Lamido recounted a tense episode during early efforts to mobilize against the Abacha dictatorship. He revealed that Bola Ige harbored deep mistrust towards the northern members of the G9—a group of nine political figures who came together after their parties were denied registration by the Abacha administration. The G9 would eventually evolve into the PDP.
According to Lamido, the group, which included former Vice President Alex Ekwueme, Senator Francis Ellah, and himself, met at 9 Raymond Njoku Street in Ikoyi, Lagos, to strategize. During one of the meetings, Ige openly challenged the northern delegates, accusing them of harboring a hidden agenda.
Lamido quoted Ige as saying:
“Look, Sule, before we go any further, your collective stance on various issues in recent years shows that the North speaks with one voice. The North has an agenda, and frankly, I don’t trust you. You are trying to use us to build a kind of moral force, a national momentum, but behind it lies a private agenda. If you want my trust, go back to the North and form a group that publicly challenges Abacha’s military regime. Only then will I believe you.”
Lamido admitted that Ige’s criticism struck a chord. “We agreed. He was right,” Lamido said.
He explained that many Nigerians perceived Abacha as a symbol of northern dominance, which led to doubts about the sincerity of northern politicians’ opposition to his rule.
In response to Ige’s challenge, Lamido said the northern members eventually formed their own pressure group to confront the Abacha regime. This new coalition featured individuals like university lecturer Dr. Usman Bugaje and retired Colonel Dangiwa Umar.
However, not all northern figures were on board. Influential leaders such as former Kaduna State governor Balarabe Musa and Chief Sunday Awoniyi refused to join the movement.
