Lamido, however, said despite the contributions of Wike to the party, the choice of Atiku was best for the party and Nigerians in general.
Former Governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, has said the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) did what is right by picking former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate for the 2023 general elections.
Lamido hailed the efforts and contributions of the Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, to the PDP. Wike was one of the aspirants who challenged Atiku for the presidential ticket of the party but lost out.
Lamido, however, said despite the contributions of Wike to the party, the choice of Atiku was best for the party and Nigerians in general.
The former Jigawa governor said this during an interview on Channels Television on Wednesday.
“Wike has tremendously worked for the party and made huge contributions to the party and in the last two years, nobody talked about the party more than Wike, I agree. But you see, at the end of the day, it is the political will of the people of PDP which will prevail.
“And the party picked who they thought is the best for the presidential ticket,” he said.
Lamido, while reacting to Wike’s comment that he could have scuttled the presidential primary when Sokoto governor, Aminu Tambuwal was allowed to mount the podium again to announce his decision to step down, said the Rivers governor reacted to the defeat like any other human being.
“Wike is a normal human being with feelings, emotions and expectations. So, when expectations are not met, emotions come in naturally, all of us are there for the party,” he added.
He insisted that the decision to ensure Atiku triumphed was not made based on the region he comes from, but to give the party the best sellable candidate to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) party.
Lamido is reportedly one of the northern leaders who convinced Tambuwal to step down and back Atiku’s candidacy during last Saturday’s presidential primaries and national convention of the party.