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 should have been a normal political alignment has instead caused a lot of disagreement and a cold war between important members of the ruling party before the 2027 general elections.
Remember that last Thursday, Governor Sule said that Wadada, the senator from Nasarawa West, was his top choice for the governorship election in 2027.
The governor said that the senator was the embodiment of the “Muje Maha” spirit that has guided his administration’s approach to governance and political openness.
“We need to find people who can win this election.” Governor Sule had said during the public endorsement, “Now all the support, now all of us, if we are sincere about the so-called Muje Maha, now it is the time that Muje Maha is Wadada.”
Some high-ranking members of the ruling party in the state, on the other hand, were not happy with this because they think he made a quick decision without consulting properly and following the rules.
Former governor and powerful party leader in the state, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, is at the head of the pushback. He has publicly criticized both the timing and the process of the endorsement.
He said that he wasn’t asked for his opinion or given any information before Wadada was shown to Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa.
“I was never asked. This is not normal. Al-Makura said, “It’s too early, especially since the party hasn’t even put out guidelines yet.”
He also said that the governor has the right to support a candidate, but he must not forget about due process and involving all stakeholders.
“We don’t have a problem with Wadada or any other candidate, but let things happen as they should,” he said.
However, Governor Sule quickly denied any wrongdoing, saying that his actions are in line with established political norms in the state.
The governor kept saying through his media aide that
“This is planned, careful leadership, not forcing.”
When he introduced Wadada to President Bola Tinubu, the governor said it was necessary and right to keep the party’s national leader up to date.
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 are running for governor on the APC platform. The governor says that the governorship position should be given to Nasarawa West, where Wadada is from, to make sure that justice and fairness are served.
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 in the name 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.
It was learned that some candidates felt left out by the early endorsement, while others are thinking about openly opposing it during 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, according to what he believes, but his biggest mistake has been letting the party run on autopilot for so long.
“Sadly, party desperados took advantage of him and tricked him into thinking everything was fine, going against voices of reason like mine.
“His bias, by showing his friend, Senator Ahmed Aliyu Wadada, as the best candidate, means he can’t fairly oversee the primary. He should think about stepping down so that the primaries can be free, fair, and credible before the general elections in 2027 if he cares about his integrity.
The controversy has brought back old arguments about zoning and power rotation in Nasarawa State, in addition to questions about how things are done and who is consulted.
Since Nigeria became a democracy again in 1999, the governorship seat has changed hands between the three senatorial districts.
But 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 zone’s total to twelve years.
Some politicians have said that for the sake of balance, Nasarawa South should be allowed to “complete” what they call the last four years of Doma’s term cycle.
However, a group of religious, political, and indigenous groups is fighting against this position. They say that fairness must go beyond senatorial zoning and include federal constituencies that have not yet produced a governor.
The group is very against the rise of a candidate from the Keffi axis, pointing out that former governor Abdullahi Adamu came from the same group.
The coalition, led by Alhaji Ali Baba Nasarawa and Mallam Abdulrahman Sani Toto, said in a joint statement that the Nasarawa/Toto Federal Constituency is the only one that hasn’t had a governor since the state was created.
“It is not fair 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 asked for a process that was more open and fair, saying that forcing candidates on people could hurt party unity before the 2027 elections.
