The Governor of Nasarawa State, Engr Abdullahi Sule, has declared that Senator Ahmed Aliyu Wadada is his preferred candidate to succeed him as governor of Nasarawa State in the 2027 general election, describing the senator as the embodiment of the spirit that has guided his administration’s approach to governance and political inclusivity.
The governor told the gathering that 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.
Wadada, who is the chairman of the Senate committee on public accounts, is from Keffi in the western zone of the state; the zone governor, Sule, has been promoting him to take the governorship slot, as the last time the zone produced a governor was Sen. Abdullahi Adamu from 1999 to 2007, and the Southern and Northern zones have produced a governor in recent years, himself coming from the Northern zone.
The news, which was broken by the special assistant to the governor on media, Mr Ali Abari, today, said Governor Sule 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.
He expressed satisfaction 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.
He, however, urged members of the ruling party to set aside differences in favour of collective support for Senator Wadada and all other APC candidates across every elective position.
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 emphasised 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 urged those who had supported other aspirants to transition smoothly into full support for the party’s preferred candidate without bitterness or division.
