2027: Gov. Sule endorses Sen. Wadada as preferred candidate

By Okpashi Odama

Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has declared Senator Ahmed Aliyu Wadada his preferred candidate to succeed him as governor of Nasarawa State in the 2027 general election.

Describing the senator as the embodiment of the Muje Maha spirit that has guided his administration’s approach to governance and political inclusivity.

Governor Sule made the declaration on Thursday during a meeting with political appointees and heads of government agencies at the Government House, where he explained in detail the process that led him to settle on Senator Wadada as the APC’s most suitable governorship candidate for 2027.

According to him, the process of identifying a successor had been ongoing for over a year, involving wide consultations that went beyond the boundaries of Nasarawa State.

He said the consultations included discussions with foreign and prospective investors, youth groups, women organisations, traditional rulers, party officials and various stakeholders from across the state’s three senatorial zones, as well as selected members of his cabinet.

“We have to look for people who have the capacity to be able to win this election,” the Governor said.

He explained that after exhaustive consultations, the field was eventually narrowed to three aspirants, each of whom was considered capable of winning, adding that further consultations were conducted before a final decision was reached in favour of Senator Wadada.

Gov. Sule maintained that the aspirants from Nasarawa West Senatorial District had responded with commendable maturity, meeting among themselves and agreeing collectively to support whoever emerged as the preferred candidate.

Governor Sule said the aspirants from Nasarawa West had also raised the matter of equitable distribution of elective positions between the two federal constituencies that make up the zone, noting that since the governorship would go to one constituency, they were requesting that senatorial and other legislative positions be distributed to reflect the interests of the other constituency as well.

The Governor said he had no objection whatsoever to that request and gave his full support to the arrangement, urging his appointees to assist in working it out.

Turning to his political appointees, Governor Sule acknowledged that some of them had privately supported various aspirants through the process, saying he understood this as human nature.

He however reminded them that the Muje Maha principle they had all professed demanded that personal preferences now be set aside in favour of collective support for Senator Wadada and all other APC candidates across every elective position.

“Now all the support, if we are sincere about the so-called Muje Maha, now it is the period that Muje Maha is Wadada,” the Governor said.

He added that the same principle of collective support must extend to the APC’s senatorial candidates, House of Representatives candidates and State House of Assembly candidates, stressing that all elective positions must be approached with the same level of unity and commitment.

Governor Sule was emphatic that the choice of Senator Wadada was not a reflection of superiority over the other aspirants, cautioning his appointees against any temptation to mock or disparage those who were not selected.

He said the decision was the product of a careful, multi-dimensional assessment and that any of the three shortlisted aspirants could have won the election.

He urged those who had supported other aspirants to transition smoothly into full support for the party’s preferred candidate without bitterness or division.

The Governor also spoke about the 2027 presidential election, expressing strong confidence that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would record an impressive performance in Nasarawa State, saying that even those who were not favourably disposed to his own administration had expressed willingness to vote for the President.

He described this as one of the most encouraging signs heading into the election cycle.

Earlier, the Secretary to the Nasarawa State Government, Labaran Shuaibu Magaji, SAN, had set the tone for the meeting by assuring the Governor that his appointees were fully present, fully committed and ready to carry his message to every corner of the state.

He described the gathering as a test of loyalty that he was confident all those present would pass.

End