By Soni Daniel, Northern Region Editor & Dirisu Yakubu
ABUJA—Immediate past governor of Jigawa State, Alhaji Sule Lamido, yesterday, cried foul over his detention by the Police, claiming he was being persecuted because of his presidential ambition in 2019.

*Sule Lamido

Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party National Reconciliation Committee, PDP-NCC, has condemned the Sunday arrest and detention of Lamido by men of the Police.

The former governor, who was detained after honouring police invitation on Sunday, was still being quizzed by the operatives yesterday, a situation that forced many of his top-ranking political supporters to swam the police command in Kano to show solidarity with him.

As that emerged, there were indications that the police high command was confused whether to press charges against or release him on bail, pending further investigations.

“The governor of Jigawa State, who raised a false alarm against Lamido, is stiff scared over his presidential ambition in 2019 and the local elections in the state slated for July 1 this year.

“But it is rather too late for anyone to stop Lamido from achieving his political ambition come 2019 since the people have already seen that he has what it takes to rule Nigeria and lift it out of the woods,” Alhaji Umar Kyari, Chief Press Secretary to Lamido, told Vanguard last night, after visiting Lamido at the Zonal Police headquarters in Kano

It will be recalled that Jigawa State governor reportedly in a petition, accused his predecessor of inciting his supporters to cause trouble if the upcoming local council polls slated for July 1, 2017, was compromised by the state electoral commission.

The Force Public Relations Officer, Moshood Jimoh, confirmed to Vanguard that the former governor was still being questioned  at press time and might be charged to court after investigation.

Jimoh said:  “It is true that the former Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido, is still being interrogated by our operatives after honouring our invitation on Sunday. The state government complained against his directive to his supporters to cause trouble and we had to wade in.

“Based on the petition by the state government, we are looking into the issues raised against him and he might be charged to court if there is enough evidence to prove the allegations against him,” the police spokesman said.

PDP condemns arrest

In a statement signed by National Publicity Secretary of the party, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, the PDP-NCC argued that the real motive for Lamido’s arrest was political.

The statement read in part:“The true reason for his arrest, however, has to do with the forthcoming local government elections in Jigawa State. The long incarceration of former Governor Gabriel Suswam is also linked to the forthcoming local government elections in Benue State.

“The APC-led administration is fast loosing the confidence of the people because of its non-performance, high handedness and lack of empathy for the suffering of the people.”

“The only option left for it is to prevent the opposition from effectively campaigning and mobilizing the people for the elections. The whole strategy of the failed APC government is founded on the assumption that if there is no opposition, then they cannot be defeated.

“Hence the intimidation, harassment and incarceration of popular opposition leaders like Sule Lamido. We are aware that, we in the opposition will be in for a hard time in the run-up to the 2019 general elections with more arrests and intimidation of our prominent leaders.”