Former Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido, has strongly refuted claims by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) that he has aligned with the party, accusing it of exploiting his name to harvest unmerited political sympathy in Jigawa State ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The political controversy erupted on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, during an APC mega campaign rally held in Dutse, the Jigawa State capital. Addressing the crowd, Vice President Kashim Shettima asserted that major political heavyweights in Jigawa State had rallied behind President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.
”Jigawa State is home to the APC. Every notable politician of consequence is with us,” Vice President Shettima stated. “The former governors of Jigawa State, Ali Sa’ad Birnin Kudu, Ibrahim Saminu Turaki, Muhammad Badaru Abubakar, and even Alhaji Sule Lamido… are with us.”
Reacting directly to the Vice President’s claims in Dutse on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, Lamido described the statements as false, unfounded, and a calculated attempt to manipulate the electorate.
Querying the rationale behind the claim, Lamido responded in Hausa to a viral campaign video published online by DCL Hausa: “Ikon Allah. Ban yi APC a 2014 sai yanzu a 2026?” (“God is powerful. I was not with the APC in 2014, so why would I be with it now in 2026?”). He added the Kanuri phrase “kattuwunum” (“a lie”) to dismiss the Vice President’s declaration.
”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?” Lamido queried.
He argued that the ruling party was resorting to name-dropping because it lacked tangible achievements to showcase in Jigawa State and the broader Northern region.
”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,” Lamido added, laying down security conditions for any future political consideration.
Reinforcing Lamido’s rejection of the APC claim, the Jigawa State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) released an official statement on Wednesday signed by its State Chairman, Hon. Babandi Ibrahim Gumel.
Gumel emphasized that Lamido remains a bedrock of the PDP and has never authorized any proxy spokesperson or political handler to declare support for President Tinubu or the APC.
”Alhaji Sule Lamido is a founding father of the PDP, remains in the PDP, and will campaign vigorously for the success of the PDP from top to bottom in 2027,” Gumel declared. The party recalled Lamido’s refusal to defect during the 2013–2015 G7 governors’ crisis as proof of his steadfast loyalty and political principles.
