Former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, recently revealed how he and ex-Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, united to challenge former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Speaking at the public presentation of Lamido’s autobiography, Being True to Myself on Wednesday, Amaechi shared insights into their political collaboration and eventual split.
Amaechi explained, “We were quite good friends in government. We had our bad times when we disagreed. I made the mistake of assuming he was as radical as I was.” Their shared resolve led them to form a committee of governors to oppose Jonathan’s presidency.
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He added, “The last one before we broke ranks was when we all agreed to go against President Jonathan. We formed a committee of governors and others.” However, differences arose regarding political direction. Lamido opted to join the Social Democratic Party (SDP), while Amaechi and others chose to remain with the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Amaechi recalled, “At the end of the day, he went to find a new party, the SDP. We said, ‘If we go to the SDP, we will lose the election. Let’s hang on to this one called the APC.’ He disagreed and left us. That’s where we parted ways.”
Despite their political fallout, Amaechi described Lamido as a good friend during their time in government, emphasizing that their split was over differing strategies rather than personal animosity.
