“How I Transited from Abacha’s Ally to Prisoner,” Sule Lamido Speaks

• Former Jigawa Governor, Sule Lamido, has offered a rare account of his relationship with the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha, in his autobiography, Being True To Myself
• Lamido, then a House of Representatives member, traced his association with Abacha back to the early 1980s when they frequently crossed paths at the 1004 Legislative Quarters in Lagos
• Lamido explained that he initially supported Abacha’s transition after the general promised to hand over power to civilians, however, the reverse was the case

Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.

The former governor of Jigawa state, Sule Lamido, has recounted his dramatic journey from being a close ally of the late General Sani Abacha to becoming one of his political detainees.

The story, detailed in Chapter 8 of his recently launched autobiography “Being True To Myself,” was made public on May 13, 2025.

In the chapter titled “The Abacha Years,” Lamido described his early acquaintance with Abacha, dating back to 1980 during Nigeria’s Second Republic.

At the time, Lamido was a member of the House of Representatives, and Abacha, a military officer, frequently visited a mutual friend, Sarki Adamu, at the 1004 Legislative Quarters in Lagos.

“Our relationship was friendly and filled with light-hearted banter,” Lamido wrote.

Continuing, he recalled jokingly telling Abacha he looked destined to lead a coup — a comment Abacha brushed off, insisting he had no interest in politics.

Years later, after Abacha seized power, Lamido was nominated as a federal government delegate to the National Constitutional Conference.

Lamido, who was then in Saudi Arabia, returned to Nigeria and sought clarity on the assignment directly from the Head of State.

According to him, Abacha assured:

“I intend to hand over power. Go there and give us a good national conference, a workable one, so that I can hand over to civilians and happily retire.”

Initially hopeful, Lamido soon became skeptical of Abacha’s true intentions. Amid rising tension and mistrust at the conference—especially from southern delegates still reeling from the annulment of the June 12, 1993 election—Lamido confronted Abacha again to reaffirm his commitment to civilian rule.

Lamido revealed that as the conference progressed, various political groups were formed.

However, while Abacha’s allies successfully registered their parties, including the UNCP, CNC, DPN, GDM, and NCPN, Lamido and others were denied registration.

Feeling sidelined, they decided to opt out of the transition programme and notified the regime in writing.

Lamido wrote:

“I told him plainly, if he changed his mind about handing over, I would not support him. In fact, I would oppose him.

“He laughed, and we parted on that note—but it seemed that was when the rift began.”

“On the night of our meeting, I was arrested along with Abubakar Rimi. Unknown to us, the State Security Service had been trailing us. As soon as I got home around 10:30 pm, they picked me up.”

Despite the ordeal, Lamido’s account offers a rare glimpse into the inner workings of Abacha’s regime and the courage it took to oppose a powerful military government from within its own circle.

Read more about Abacha, Lamido here:

• Abacha’s family releases statement over Babangida’s claim about June 12 annulment
• Babangida admits MKO Abiola won 1993 election

June 12: “Why I told IBB to his face to resign,” Lamido speaks

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Sule Lamido has narrated his bold confrontation with former head of state, General Ibrahim Babangida (retd), in his autobiography, Being True to Myself, launched on May 13.

The Former Jigawa state governor disclosed that he directly told Babangida to resign during the June 12 crisis following the annulment of the 1993 election results.

The former head of state, who was said to have been initially surprised by Lamido's earnest request, later admitted that he wished he had met him much earlier.

Source: Legit.ng