Nasarawa APC Shaken as Gov Sule Endorses Wadada for 2027

The Nasarawa State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has split again after Senator Ahmed Aliyu Wadada was publicly backed as the best candidate to replace Governor Abdullahi Sule in the 2027 governorship race.

What was supposed to be a normal political alignment has instead led to a lot of disagreement and a cold war among important members of the ruling party as the 2027 general elections approach.

Remember that last Thursday, Governor Sule said that Wadada, the senator from Nasarawa West, was his top choice for the 2027 governorship election.

The governor said that the senator was the embodiment of the “Muje Maha” spirit, which has guided his administration’s approach to governance and political inclusion.

“We need to find people who can win this election.” “Now all the support, now all of us, if we are sincere about the so-called Muje Maha, now it is the period that Muje Maha is Wadada,” Governor Sule said during the public endorsement.

Some high-ranking members of the ruling party in the state, on the other hand, didn’t like this. They think he made a hasty decision without proper consultation and due process.

Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, a former governor and powerful party leader in the state, is at the head of the opposition. He has publicly criticized both the timing and the process of the endorsement.

He said that he wasn’t asked for his opinion or included in the decision to present Wadada to Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa.

“I was never asked for my opinion. This is not normal. “It’s too soon, especially since the party hasn’t even put out any rules yet,” Al-Makura said.

He also said that the governor has the right to support a candidate, but due process and getting input from stakeholders must not be overlooked.

“We don’t have a problem with Wadada or any other candidate, but let’s let the process play out,” he said.

However, Governor Sule quickly denied the accusations of wrongdoing, saying that what he did was in line with established political traditions in the state.

The governor said through his media aide that

“This is careful, planned leadership, not forcing.”

The governor said it was both right and necessary to keep the party’s national leader informed when he introduced Wadada to President Bola Tinubu.

Abubakar Adamu, a former Inspector General of Police and one of the top candidates for governor, has also said that the endorsement of Wadada did not mean that there was an election. He promised to run for governor and beat the governor’s chosen candidate.

Adamu and others want to run for governor on the APC platform, but the governor says that to make sure justice and fairness are served, the governorship slot should go to Nasarawa West, where Wadada is from.

The Majority Caucus of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, led by Speaker Danladi Jatau, has backed Wadada despite the controversy.

“We are fully supporting and backing Senator Wadada as Governor Sule’s successor. We will stay loyal to the party and the governor’s decision,” it said.

The lawmakers also asked other candidates to support Wadada for the sake of party unity.

Aside from the procedural issue, stakeholders are also wondering if Wadada is ready to lead.

Charles Agum, a political analyst, criticized the senator’s recent media appearance, saying it lacked depth and issue-based engagement.

“Instead of looking for solutions, he seemed more interested in attacking other candidates.” “That showed a worrying lack of readiness,” he said.

Some of the candidates who were endorsed early felt left out, while others are thinking about openly opposing the primaries.

Douglas Otaru, who used to be the Nasarawa APC Publicity Secretary, said that Governor Sule’s last-minute choice will be bad for the ruling party in Nasarawa State.

He said, “I will say it again: I won’t go too low to criticize Governor Abdullahi Alhaji Sule.” He has done well by his own standards, but his biggest mistake has been letting the party run itself for so long.

“Sadly, desperate people in the party took advantage of him and tricked him into thinking everything was fine, ignoring voices of reason like mine.

“His bias, by presenting his friend, Senator Ahmed Aliyu Wadada, as the preferred candidate, automatically disqualifies him from overseeing a fair primary. He should think about stepping down to make room for free, fair, and credible primaries before the general elections in 2027 if he cares about his integrity.

The controversy has brought up old arguments about zoning and power rotation in Nasarawa State, in addition to questions about how things are done and who should be consulted.

Since Nigeria became a democracy again in 1999, the governorship seat has changed hands between the three senatorial districts.

However, stakeholders say that Nasarawa South has had a long run, with leaders like Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, who served for eight years, and the late Aliyu Akwe Doma, who served for four years, bringing the total time to twelve years.

Some politicians have said that Nasarawa South should be allowed to “complete” what they call the last four years of Doma’s term cycle for the sake of balance.

However, a group of religious, political, and indigenous groups is fighting this position, saying that fairness must go beyond senatorial zoning and include federal constituencies that have not yet had a governor.

The group is very against the rise of a candidate from the Keffi axis, pointing out that former governor Abdullahi Adamu already came from the same group.

In a joint statement led by Alhaji Ali Baba Nasarawa and Mallam Abdulrahman Sani Toto, the coalition said that the Nasarawa/Toto Federal Constituency is still the only one that hasn’t had a governor since the state was formed.

“It is not right to give the governorship ticket back to the same federal constituency.” The group said, “Equity demands inclusion.”

They also said that Governor Sule was going against the zoning principle he had previously supported, and they warned that this could make political divisions worse and cause people to vote against him in the next election.

The coalition also wanted a process that was more open and fair, saying that any hint of forcing candidates on people could make the party less united before the 2027 elections.