A pressure group within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Nasarawa State has cautioned a governorship aspirant, Ahmed Wadada, against allegedly invoking the name of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to gain undue advantage in the race.

The group, Nasarawa APC Integrity Forum, accused Wadada—who represents Nasarawa West Senatorial District—of name-dropping the President and businessman Gilbert Chagoury instead of canvassing support from party members and the electorate.

In a statement issued on Wednesday in Lafia by its leaders, Zamani Daniel and Ibrahim Tukur, the forum alleged that the senator has been boasting about his closeness to Tinubu and Chagoury while intimidating fellow aspirants and their supporters.

“We know Mr President to be a true democrat who believes in the will of the majority. It is therefore surprising that Wadada is allegedly claiming that he would be hand-picked ahead of other aspirants,” the statement read.

The group emphasised that democracy is driven by popular support, urging all aspirants to engage the electorate directly rather than rely on perceived political connections.

“With direct primaries adopted by stakeholders, aspirants should market themselves to the people instead of seeking endorsements through questionable means,” it added.

The forum further alleged that Wadada was attempting to wield influence over security and anti-corruption agencies to pressure other contenders in the race.

“Political participation is a constitutional right. Aspirants should be free to pursue their ambitions without fear or intimidation. Resorting to undemocratic tactics to edge out opponents is not only undesirable but dangerous to our democracy,” the group said.