2027: Governor Sule assures of free, fair primaries

as Nasarawa West lobbies for governorship seat

Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has assured that at the end of his tenure, his administration will conduct a free and fair primary election through which his successor would emerge.

Governor Sule gave the assurance when he delivered a goodwill message at a meeting convened by the All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholders from Nasarawa West Senatorial District, which held in Keffi on Sunday.

According to the Governor, the process that led to his emergence in 2019 was fair and transparent, stressing that he has a responsibility to ensure that similar exercise takes place in 2027.

“I want to be fair to all. I came in as a Governor as a result of fairness. I would like to hand over as a result of fairness. My election at the primary level was very fair, very transparent, and all the zones participated. The reason why they accepted was because it was done very fair, very transparent, and so everyone accepted it. I think I have a responsibility to ensure that I also carry out a similar primary election that is fair and transparent so that other people would also accept,” he stated.

While appreciating that already those seeking to contest for the seat of the governor are already warming up, he however cautioned against violating guidelines set by the APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) concerning the 2027 general elections.

“We need to be a little bit careful, where we don’t overheat the polity, and we don’t violate the party and INEC guidelines. Consultations you can start the moment, in fact, before I was even sworn in two years ago. You can start consulting in the next four years. But the campaigns are what I will urge you to be careful. Today, because of social media, pictures are taken, videos are recorded, and messages are transmitted. Try as much as possible to be careful so that we don’t go in violation of both INEC and our party guidelines,” he said.

Governor Sule commended the organizers of the meeting, saying that he is ready to attend any meeting of the APC aimed at further uniting and strengthening the party.

He used the opportunity of the parley to urge other zones in the state to follow suit and to also organise their stakeholders meeting.

“I will also urge the other zones to do the same. If the northern zone is having a similar meeting, I will attend. If the southern zone is having a similar meeting, I will attend,” he assured.

The Governor equally used the opportunity to appreciate stakeholders from the Nasarawa West zone, especially aspirants, for their support during the visit of President Ahmed Bola Tinubu.

“I want to sincerely thank you because of the maturity that you have shown and the maturity of our supporters throughout the state. I have seen how supporters of every aspirant were able to segregate themselves in one area, and we did not have any incident whatsoever. Today, the entire state is the one taking the credit for it,” he said.

He further appreciated the love stakeholders have for the APC, adding that the manner in which the party is going, unless their is a mistake from within, no opposition can even challenge the party in the state.

“I will urge this kind of unity to continue. This power that you see comes only from the Almighty Allah. He alone gives power. A. A Sule does not give power. But A. A Sule has the right to say, I like so, so, and so person. When the time comes for me to say that I like somebody, I will mention it clearly without fear or favour that I like somebody.

“Anybody that comes to you and said that I like someone, that person is only talking to himself. Because as far as I am concerned, I am matured enough, I am now experienced enough. I have learned my lessons and I will be the last person to jump in and say this is my candidate because the time for that has not come. But when that time comes, I will not be scared to say this is my candidate,” he assured.

This is just as the stakeholders from Nasarawa West commence lobby in earnest for the zone to produce the next governor of the state, citing inherent rotation of power amongst the three senatorial districts.

Leader of the zone and first civilian governor of the state, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, fired the first salvo, insisting that Nasarawa West should be allowed to produce the governor in 2027.

Senator Adamu said it is the believe of the zone that based on the arrangement done by the founding fathers of the state, each zone of the state should be allowed to produce the governor on a rotational basis.

He recounted that he was privileged to have emerged as the first civilian governor from Nasarawa West, followed by the late Aliyu Akwe Doma from the Nasarawa South, then Senator Umaru Tanko Al-makura who also spent eight years from Nasarawa South, with incumbent Governor Sule from Nasarawa North whose tenure will come to an end in 2027, having spent eight years in office.

“What we want is the stability of the state. What we want is that the rotation that we are doing has helped the state to maintain political stability. Anybody who is working to distabilize that is working to destabilize Nasarawa State. We must say no,” he said.

He added that the meeting was convened with a view to bringing all critical stakeholders from the zone with a view to articulating a common front to push the demand of Nasarawa West to produce the next governor.

Also speaking, Speaker, Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Danladi Jatau, corroborated Senator Adamu by saying that the essence of the meeting is for the zone to see gets what belongs to it come 2027.

“We want to thank God because this zone has been the zone that always determine the victory of politics since 1999. We are looking at it since 2007. We left it for other zones. We believe it is our turn in 2027. We will get it right if we don’t have betrayers amongst us. We have exercised patience enough and we believe with our unity and our struggle, as we have supported other zones, it is their turn to support us,” he said.

Other speakers including Prof. Abdulkarim Kana (SAN), APC Legal Adviser, Hon. Imaan Suleiman Ibrahim, Minister of Women Affairs, Rt. Hon. Ibrahim Balarabe Abdullahi immediate past speaker, Reps Abdulmumin Ari, Shuaibu Labaran Magaji, the SSG, Hon. Aliyu Ahmed Tijani, Federal Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), Hon. John Mamman, Commissioner for Education, Dr. Zainab Ahmed, former SSG, Hon. Abubakar Aliyu Madaki, Chairman of Karu LGA, lend their voices in support of the clamour for the Keffi Zone to produce the next governor.

The meeting had equally in attendance, Dr. Musa Ahmed Mohammed, State Accountant General, Hon. Muhammed Garba Isimbabi (APC- Nasarawa/Toto), Hon. Ibrahim Aliyu Nana (APC, Keffi West) and Hon. Daniel Ogah Ogazi (APC, Kokona East) at the state assembly, State APC Secretary, gubernatorial aspirants, council chairmen, commissioners, present and former political appointees amongst others.