“Political Sacrilege” — Otaru Slams Preferred Candidate Move, Predicts Trouble for APC

By Okpashi Odama

The immediate past Publicity Secretary and chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Nasarawa State, Chief Otaru Douglas, on Sunday expressed concern over Governor Abdullahi Sule’s decision to announce his preferred candidate ahead of the 2027 gubernatorial election.

In a statement made available to journalists in Lafia, Chief Douglas warned that unless urgent and proactive steps are taken, the governor’s move to impose a sole candidate could spell doom for both the party and the state in 2027.
“While the dust raised by the gross failure in managing diverse interests following the recently concluded state congresses is yet to settle, the party has, in what appears to be a macabre dance of shame, hastily announced a preferred candidate ahead of the 2027 gubernatorial election.
“Such political insensitivity, if not checked, has the potential to ruin the party’s chances in the general election, especially with the growing strength of opposition parties in the state.
“It is unfortunate that power-hungry party leaders have sidelined rightful stakeholders and aspirants, choosing instead to anoint a preferred candidate without consulting key stakeholders or the electoral college.
“In a desperate attempt to justify their actions, they have rushed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, to present a candidate who lacks the backing of kingmakers and the electoral college. If this trend continues, it could seriously undermine the party’s chances of delivering the state for the President in 2027.
“What a blatant disregard for democratic principles! What a political sacrilege! It is unacceptable,” the APC chieftain declared.
Chief Douglas acknowledged that Governor Abdullahi Sule has done his best over the past seven years but maintained that he would not stoop to criticizing him.
“I will say it again: I won’t stoop to criticizing Governor Abdullahi Sule. He has done well to the best of his conviction, but allowing the party to run on autopilot for this long has been his biggest mistake.
“Unfortunately, some desperate individuals in the party took advantage of the situation and misled him into believing all was well, ignoring voices of reason like mine. Certain party officials have effectively privatized the party, treating it as their personal enterprise — and this is the outcome,” he said.
According to the former APC spokesperson, the State Chairman, Dr. Aliyu Bello, ought to have recognized that the people have the final say. He criticized the failure to consult former governors, including Dr. Abdullahi Adamu and Senator Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, as well as other stakeholders, before selecting a candidate under the guise of the governor’s preference, noting that such actions contradict democratic principles.
While accusing party officials of misleading the public with claims that direct primaries, as directed by the National Executive Committee (NEC), would still be conducted, Otaru Douglas insisted that the chairman had compromised his position.
“Though they claim the party will proceed with direct primaries as instructed by NEC, it should be on record that the chairman has compromised his office.
“By openly backing his associate, Senator Ahmed Aliyu Wadada, as the preferred candidate, he has disqualified himself from overseeing a fair primary election, if he truly values his integrity.
The party chieftain therefore urged the chairman to step aside to allow for a free, fair, and credible primary election, as promised.”