Al-makura: Nasarawa Govt Defends Sule, Says No Wrong in Backing Preferred Aspirant
The Nasarawa State Government has defended Governor Abdullahi Sule over recent criticisms by former governor, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, regarding the endorsement of a preferred governorship aspirant ahead of the 2027 elections.
In a statement issued by the Governor’s Senior Special Assistant on Media, Hon. Ali Abare, the government maintained that Governor Sule “has done absolutely nothing wrong” in publicly identifying Ahmed Aliyu Wadada as his preferred aspirant.
The statement argued that the process being questioned mirrors the same political tradition through which past leaders in the state, including Al-Makura himself, emerged and selected successors. It recalled that Al-Makura had, during his tenure, chosen Sule as his successor, while former governor Abdullahi Adamu also picked the late Aliyu Akwe Doma in a similar manner.
According to the government, Governor Sule’s approach has been more inclusive and transparent, involving over a year of consultations with stakeholders across the state, including party leaders, traditional rulers, youth and women groups, as well as all 14 aspirants.
“This is not an arbitrary decision but a product of careful and deliberate leadership,” the statement noted.
The government also expressed surprise at Al-Makura’s position, recalling that he had earlier, at an APC stakeholders’ meeting in Lafia, expressed confidence in Sule’s ability to choose a successor in the best interest of the state and urged party members to support the eventual choice.
On the governor’s presentation of Wadada to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the statement described the move as appropriate, noting that Tinubu, as the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), ought to be informed of key political developments within the party.
It further clarified that the term “preferred aspirant” does not amount to automatic candidacy, stressing that all aspirants remain free to contest in the party primaries. The APC State Chairman, Aliyu Bello, was quoted as affirming that the declaration does not preclude a free and fair primary process.
Drawing parallels with similar developments in other states, the government noted that Governor Dapo Abiodun recently announced a preferred successor without controversy.
The statement called on political leaders, including Al-Makura, to uphold party unity and honour previous commitments to support the governor’s decision in the interest of APC’s success in the 2027 elections.
