By Olaitan Ibrahim
Former Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido, gave an insight into events leading up to his decision to plead with the late President Umaru Yar’Adua to avoid a confrontation with ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo.
On page 257 and 258 of his autobiography, tiled: ‘Being True To Myself’, which was presented to the public on May 13, 2025, Lamido recalled two events which gave an impression that the president was taking on Obasanjo.
The former Jigawa governor said he had cause to draw Yar’Adua’s attention to a National Assembly debate on the controversial USD $16 billion National Independent Power Project, NIPP.
Lamido said: “If the debate in the House of Representatives was led by a member of the opposition, that could be understood, but it was led by a very prominent PDP member and close ally of President Yar’Adua from Katsina State.
“The impression being given to Nigerians in that debate was that Obasanjo stole the $16 billion and the projects were abandoned. Of course, later events proved otherwise.
“I went to President Yar’Adua and drew his attention to the debate in the House of Representatives on the power issue. His tart response was ‘it is an issue being discussed by an independent arm of government.
“The second incident affected me more personally, when his Chief Security Officer, Tilde, called me while I was in office in Dutse. On answering the call, CSO tilde asked me where I was. I answered him casually that I was in my ‘VIllage capital’, Dutse.
“To my shock and disbelief, he said: ‘I thought you are in Ota with your President’. I was momentarily numbed. When I recovered from the shock, I rained all the insults I could muster on him and threatened that I will report him to President Yar’Adua.
“Perhaps to calm me down, he said: “Sorry sir, I just called to inform you that we have received a petition against you addressed to the President, and I am in a position to suppress it.”
“Not ready to mellow down I retorted, ‘Who do you think you can blackmail? Go to hell! With hindsight, I believe it must have been Mohammed Ali Ringim’s petition.”