Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State and Former Military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida met on Monday.
The governor arrived the palatial residence of the former military leader accompanied by some offials of Niger State government.
Lamido said he used the visit to seek advice from Babangidan on how to conduct free, fair, transparent and peaceful 2015 elections.
The Jigawa governor also used the occasion to refute speculations which were rife earlier in the year that he had intended to contest for Presidency.
He said his so-called presidential ambition was just in the people’s imaginatation.Lamido left the Niger State government officials including the state deputy governor in one of the living rooms and entered into a closed door meeting with the former military President for over an hour.
Speaking to newsmen after the meeting, Lamido said he was in the state to ask for advice from the elder statesman on the safest way to conduct a peaceful and transparent 2015 elections adding that the security of the country is very important to everyone in the nation.
”We are looking forward for Nigeria to be safest during the election because security of the country is very important that this country must be united, it must be a country for all Nigerians, north and south, Christians and Muslims, there must be avenue for Hausas, Igbos Yoruba and so on.
“So it is about national concerns and I was educated and I was highly elated by his wisdom, well educated person as you know. We discussed about national issues and some concerns in the country that is all.”
The Governor also said he used the opportunity to greet the former Nigeria leader over his recent medical trip, “the former Nigeria leader is also my leader and my professor in politics who also has been mentoring me to be there up till today, my meeting with him was very long and I therefore got wisdom from his advice” .
When asked on the reason why he dropped his Presidential ambition, Lamido explained that he never said he wanted to be President stating that it was people’s imagination.
” It was their own imagination, look you see people like me, forget the crowd if I want something I will say I want it, I never said so, if I said I will be, why not.
“I mean for Nigeria, I am qualified to be a Nigeria president….
“ You see my body language, I never said I want to become one, people said I should run, people who think with their own idea I can do it, they said so, and I feel flattered. I think that is why when they sent for me I came but I never said I will be”.
He further stated that he was not intimidated by President Jonathan’s second term ambition but stated that he believes the President would work for the good of the nation if he is elected in 2015.
“Intimidation? how? H,e is my own brother we made him, in 2011. We voted for him, we worked for him, he is our material, our own .. brother, so why do I fear him? If he knows that he is a Nigerian, he will work for us. So it is our power it is not his power, it is Nigerians power”.
