SULE LAMIDO: HOW BOLA IGE CHALLENGED THE NORTH

Former Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido, has shed light on a critical moment in Nigeria’s political history, revealing how the late Chief Bola Ige confronted northern politicians over their stance against the regime of the late General Sani Abacha.

Lamido, in his newly released autobiography “Being True To Myself”, unveiled on May 13, recounts a tense meeting among members of the G9 — a group of nine politicians who laid the groundwork for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) — held at No. 9 Raymond Njoku Street, Ikoyi, Lagos.

The G9 included notable figures such as former Vice President Alex Ekwueme, ex-Oyo Governor Bola Ige, Senator Francis Ellah, former CBN Governor Adamu Ciroma, ex-Plateau Governor Solomon Lar, Jerry Gana, ex-Kano Governor Abubakar Rimi, ex-Senate President Iyiochia Ayu, and Lamido himself.

During a heated discussion, Lamido recounts, Bola Ige interrupted Jerry Gana to issue a stinging challenge to the northern members of the group.

“I don’t trust you,” Ige said, addressing Rimi, Lar, Ciroma, and others. “The North has an agenda. You are trying to use us to build a national movement, but you have a private motive. If you want my trust, go back to the North and form a group that directly challenges Abacha’s government.”

According to Lamido, Ige’s frankness struck a chord. “I simply said, ‘We agree; you are right,’” he wrote.

He explained that Abacha was seen, especially by the southern parts of the country, as a symbol of northern dominance in the military regime. “Even if we didn’t support him, the perception was that we did,” Lamido added.

Accepting Ige’s challenge, the northern members later returned home to form a pressure group focused on opposing the dictatorship from within the region.