Govt defends gov, says decision aligns with tradition
Former Inspector General of Police, Muhammed Adamu-Abubakar, has rejected the endorsement of Senator Ahmed Aliyu Wadada by Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, as his preferred successor for the 2027 governorship election.

Speaking at a press briefing in Lafia, the erstwhile boss insisted that he would not be intimidated or distracted by the governor’s action, stressing that the electorate — not any individual —would ultimately determine who emerges as governor.

He reiterated that voters — not political imposition — would determine Nasarawa’s next governor

Adamu criticised what he described as attempts to impose a candidate ahead of the All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries, alleging that government officials and party executives were being pressured to support Wadada over other aspirants.

“We are not deterred and we are not distracted. The people of Nasarawa State are the determining factors in this whole process,” he said, adding that party leaders must remain impartial and adhere to electoral laws and party guidelines.

The development has stirred mixed reactions across the state, with stakeholders divided over the timing and implications of endorsing a preferred candidate before the primary.

Also weighing in, former Nasarawa State Governor, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, criticised the move, describing it as premature and potentially undemocratic.

Al-Makura said while the governor has the right to support any aspirant, publicly presenting a preferred candidate — especially before party processes are concluded — undermines due process.

The controversy followed Governor Sule’s recent declaration of Wadada as his preferred successor and his presentation of the lawmaker to President Bola Tinubu, a move that has intensified political debate within the state’s APC ranks.

However, the state government has defended the governor’s decision.

In a statement issued yesterday by the governor’s Senior Special Assistant on Media, Ali Abare, the government said Sule acted within established political traditions in the state, insisting that the endorsement was neither premature nor improper.

The government noted that the process being criticised by Al-Makura was like the one that led to Sule’s emergence as governor, recalling that the former governor had personally chosen Sule as his successor.