Former governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, has claimed that erstwhile president Goodluck Jonathan targeted his family while he was in power.
Lamido stated that he warned Jonathan that he would pay for the pain inflicted on his family by his administration.
He disclosed this in an excerpt from his autobiography, “Being True to Myself”, released on May 13.
The former governor recounted how his son was arrested at Aminu Kano International Airport while accompanying his daughter to Cairo for medical treatment.
He described the arrest as part of a campaign by Jonathan’s government to target him and his family.
Lamido claimed that his travails under the Jonathan-led government began in 2014 after former President Olusegun Obasanjo encouraged him to contest the 2015 presidential election.
In Chapter 11 of the book, titled “Goodluck Jonathan Succeeds Yar’Adua,” Lamido alleged that his son was blackmailed after being accused of laundering the sum of $50,000.
“It was on the third leg of the trip that he was arrested for carrying $50,000 on him. He was with a family consisting of himself, his wife, his sick daughter, and her nanny. The money was meant for their upkeep and medical treatment, but he had custody of it.
“It was all a set-up. By the following day, The Pilot newspaper, owned by President Jonathan and published by one Dennis, splashed the news on its front page that my son had been caught with N30bn cash attempting to launder it for me. And it was the only paper that published the story.”
Lamido said the aim was to tarnish his image and morally silence him. As a result, he said he met with then-President Jonathan, expressed his dissatisfaction, and issued a stern warning.
According to him,“How can you use your presidential power to punish me simply because someone mentioned to you that I wanted to rule Nigeria? That shouldn’t be a reason to destroy my own son. His daughter was first taken to Egypt for medical treatment when she was only fourteen days old
“The parents were asked to bring her back after three months and had to return again. On their third trip, to undergo the final operation, my son was arrested, and the $50,000 found on him was for medical treatment and the upkeep of all four of them. Sir, do you think $50,000 is enough to destroy the Nigerian economy?
“I felt we needed to reflect on the past, so I also said to him: Sir, as the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, I know much about the $1.2bn Malabu Oil scandal. How can my son’s BTA, meant for the treatment of his sick daughter, destroy the country’s economy?”
Lamido noted that although he did not intend to threaten Jonathan, he felt it necessary to speak frankly about the reality of the situation.
He said he told Jonathan that, as a Fulani man, he would make him pay for the pain inflicted on his family.
As narrated in the book, Lamido told Jonathan, “Sir, I want you to know that I am extremely hurt because you are trying to destroy my reputation and that of my family. I am not angry, but if I react in anger, it may cause problems for our party, the PDP, which I helped to found. I will not do anything that will pull it down.
“But Sir, I want you to note that I am a Fulani man, and we have a reputation for our long memory. One day, I will take my own pound of flesh for the pain you have caused me and my family. I assure you of that.”
According to Lamido, his words appeared to have shocked Jonathan, who immediately responded, “Jigawa, I will give your son a state pardon.”
He said this response made him even angrier.
“I said to him in utter disbelief: Is that so? So, the whole incident was really planned? You are confirming that to me now by your remark.
“My son is being convicted and fined. We are now at the appeal stage; when we lose, we go to the Supreme Court, and when we lose again, then you will grant him a state pardon. Is it all a deliberate arrangement? Now I can see through it all. Believe me, you are going to pay for it.”
Lamido said he left Jonathan angry and likely confused, even as he reflected deeply on the encounter.
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