Former Jigawa State Governor and ex-National Secretary of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP), Sule Lamido, has revealed that he and the late former Kano State Governor, Abubakar Rimi, rejected a N160 million bribe offered by the late Abba Kyari in a bid to secure support for Olusegun Obasanjo’s vice-presidential candidacy in 1999.
Lamido made the revelation in his newly launched autobiography titled Being True to Myself, unveiled on May 13. In Chapter 9, “Abdulsalami’s Transition and Formation of the PDP,”;; he recounted the attempted bribe during the early days of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the build-up to the 1999 general elections.
According to Lamido, Abba Kyari—who would later become Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari—approached him and Rimi alongside a young associate, bringing a bank draft of N160 million as a “contribution”;; to the party to support Kyari’s bid as Obasanjo’s running mate.
“The young man greeted me with the traditional salutation ‘Ranka ya dade, Sule!’ and introduced Abba Kyari, stating he wanted to be Obasanjo’s running mate on the PDP platform. He said Kyari had brought a bank draft of N160 million to support the party’s campaign expenses,”;; Lamido wrote.
He continued: “Rimi and I were stunned. I reacted angrily, asking if they were trying to buy us. ‘So, you are giving us N160 million for Kyari—whom we don’t even know—to become vice president? You aren’t serious. You idiot!’ They left, clearly embarrassed.”;;
Lamido said the offer was based on the assumption that he and Rimi held sway in the vice-presidential selection process, which reportedly also considered figures like Jibril Aminu, Adamu Ciroma, and Rimi himself.
The incident, according to Lamido, underscored the deep political maneuvering that characterized the PDP’s formation and the choices leading to Nigeria’s return to civilian rule in 1999.
