Lamido Rejects Shettima’s Claim of Backing APC, Sets Conditions for Joining Party

Former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido has dismissed claims that he is supporting the All Progressives Congress (APC), insisting that he has no plans to join the ruling party.

Lamido made the statement on Tuesday while reacting to Vice-President Kashim Shettima’s declaration at the APC presidential campaign rally in Dutse that all four former governors of Jigawa State, including Lamido, were now supporting the ruling party.

Shettima had told the rally that Jigawa was firmly behind the APC and claimed that the state’s four former governors had aligned themselves with the party. Lamido, a founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), described the claim as false.

He alleged that the APC was attempting to associate itself with influential opposition figures because it could not point to significant achievements in Jigawa State and the wider Northern region.

“This claim is false and unfounded, insisting that it’s meant to gain sympathy,” Lamido said.

He added that he was unaware of what Shettima was referring to and questioned why he would support the APC now, having not been with the party in 2014.

“I am not aware of what Vice-President Kashim Shettima was saying. For God’s sake, I was not with the APC in 2014, so why would I be with it now in 2026?” he queried.

Lamido challenged the ruling party to list its achievements in Jigawa and other parts of the North, arguing that its inability to demonstrate meaningful progress had led it to claim the support of prominent opposition politicians.

However, the former governor said he would consider joining the APC if President Bola Tinubu addressed insecurity in the North before the 2027 general elections.

“I swear to God, if they end kidnapping, Boko Haram, banditry and all the evils in the North, I will definitely join the APC because whatever we are doing, we are doing it for our people,” he said.