Former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, has claimed that he and the late former Kano State Governor, Abubakar Rimi, turned down a ₦160 million bribe offered by the late Abba Kyari to help him become Olusegun Obasanjo’s vice president in 1999.
Lamido made this revelation in his new autobiography *Being True to Myself*, which was officially launched on May 13, 2025.
In the book’s Chapter 9, titled Abdulsalami’s Transition and Formation of the PDP, Lamido wrote that Abba Kyari, who later served as Chief of Staff to former President Muhammadu Buhari, came to him and Rimi with a bank draft of ₦160 million as a “contribution” to the party, hoping it would help him secure the vice presidential ticket under the PDP.
Lamido recalled,
“The young man greeted me with the traditional Hausa greeting, *Ranka ya dade, Sule!* Then he introduced Abba Kyari and said he wanted to serve as Obasanjo’s running mate on the PDP platform. He had brought a bank draft of ₦160 million to help with campaign expenses.”
He said both he and Rimi were shocked and angered by the offer.
“We couldn’t believe it. I reacted, ‘Are you coming here with money to buy us? You’re offering ₦160 million for Kyari, whom we don’t even know, to become vice president?’”
“My eyes were red with anger. I shouted at them, ‘You idiot!’ And they left quietly and embarrassed.”
According to Lamido, Kyari believed that both he and Rimi had strong influence in the decision-making process for choosing Obasanjo’s running mate in 1999, which was why he attempted to bribe them.
“It was unbelievable that Abba Kyari would offer so much money for such a powerful position,” he wrote.
Lamido also mentioned that others considered for the role of vice president at the time included Jibril Aminu, Adamu Ciroma, and Rimi himself.
