by Adamu Usman

Lamido loves elections and where many other governors try to dodge local government elec­tions by perpetuating caretaker councils in place, he organized regular local government elec­tions in Jigawa State every two years according to the state’s Local Government Law.

“Leadership is not an occupation, leadership is not an art of fraud and proud leadership is not yours or mine, leadership is an attribute of God, leadership is the will of God, leadership is the choice of God, and lead­ership is a trust. Leadership is a burden. So, am fulfilled, contented and very grateful to God for giving me the op­portunity to serve the people of Jigawa diligently, honestly and wholeheartedly.” —-Sule Lamido

Many of the men who qualify to be called Founding Fathers of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] have left the scene to newer entrants. Many of them are now de­ceased while most of the remaining ones have quietly moved to the side­lines. Jigawa State Governor Alhaji Sule Lamido is the lone Founding Father still astride the landscape and his four decades of experience in the rough and tumble of Nigerian politics is being brought to bear in this election circle.

He is so often in the news for a combination of reasons including his imposing physi­cal presence, his simple style of doing things, his solid re­cord of achievements especially since 2007 when he became the helmsman of Jigawa State and his fearless stance on all con­troversial national issues. Sule Lamido always says his mind, which in all cases aligns with the interests of the common man. He is not stampeded by persons or sentiments.

He does not ebb and flow with the cur­rent as so many politicians do; rather he stands rooted to prin­ciple and to progressive politics and he brings rich personal ex­perience to bear on all he does.

Lamido loves elections and where many other governors try to dodge local government elec­tions by perpetuating caretaker councils in place, he organized regular local government elec­tions in Jigawa State every two years according to the state’s Local Government Law.

Now that another general election circle is at hand, his sa­gacity is in full display. He has deployed his unmatched energy and political skills in campaign­ing for PDP candidates from the top to the bottom. He organized an impressive state-wide flag off of campaigns at which event all the candidates received their PDP flags.

The campaign or­ganization then dissolved into local governments, wards, and polling units. At every level key party stakeholders met and mapped out strategies on how to market the PDP’s candidate and how to deliver the area to the party.

In this election circle, Jigawa State PDP draws enormous strength from Sule Lamido’s near-miraculous record of achievement in office since 2007. All its candidates are hoping to ride to power on the strength of this record and the popularity of the party’s state leader. There is so much to point at that campaigning in Jigawa State has been free of insults and abuses.

In every commu­nity and at every level PDP can­didates can point to the projects and policies that have uplifted the state and the community in terms of education, trans­portation, health, economy and infrastructure. This record of achievement is a political aspi­rant’s dream. In other countries it is called “coat tails;” a candi­date clings to the coat tails of his popular party leader to ride to elected office.

The state-wide PDP campaign tour of the 27 local govern­ment areas that Governor Sule Lamido led has been a model in peaceful and issue-based campaigning. No mudslinging; no foul language; no resort to intimidation and violence.

Why mudsling when you have an en­viable record of achievement to showcase? No wonder that the PDP campaign train was wel­comed to every part of the state by huge and enthusiastic crowds of supporters and well wishers. Huge crowds of people arrived at the rallies not only in cars, buses and trucks but many also came on motor cycles, bicycles, camels, horses and on foot.

It was testimony to this proof of sagacity that President Good­luck Jonathan and his large presidential campaign entou­rage chose to spend the night in Dutse after a rally. It was the first and only time during this arduous campaign circle which takes the entourage to two states every day that the presi­dent spent a night anywhere outside Abuja.

The president spent the night in Jigawa because he was im­pressed by its total transforma­tion under the leadership of Sule Lamido. He decided to spend the night in Dutse in apprecia­tion of the superior organization of the state’s party chapter.

Finally, he decided to spend a night in Dutse in order to hon­our a man who is a repository of political tact and wisdom. In short, the president recog­nized that Sule Lamido as the last party Founding Father still standing.

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– Adamu Usman is Special Adviser to Jigawa State governor on Media.

Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.

Emmanuel Chidiogo