Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has called on members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state to put aside their differences following the conclusion of the governorship and state assembly primary elections and unite ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Governor Sule appealed on Saturday during a meeting with APC stakeholders, political appointees, and party leaders at Government House, Lafia, where he also briefed them on preparations for the APC presidential primary election scheduled to hold across the state’s 147 electoral wards.
The governor, who will serve as both the state coordinator and collation officer for the presidential primary, disclosed that the exercise would be conducted through a direct primary system, allowing all registered APC members to vote in their respective wards.
According to him, the presidential primary features two aspirants — President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Mr Osifo Osaigemen Stanley of Edo State — making it compulsory for the party to conduct a formal primary election in line with its constitution and guidelines.
“Even if that is your feeling, you still have to carry out the exercise in line with the provisions of the law. So please, let’s not put it to the side; let’s go ahead and carry out our assignment as we have indicated,” the governor stated.
He explained that the 13 local government chairmen had been appointed as local government collation officers, while the 147 councillors would serve as ward coordinators for the exercise.
Governor Sule further disclosed that results from the wards would be collated at the local government level before being transmitted to the Presidential Primary Election Committee in Abuja, chaired by former Senate President Senator Pius Anyim.
Other members of the committee, he said, include Senator Ken Nnamani, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, SAN, and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara.
He also revealed that a Presidential Primary Election Appeal Committee had been constituted, with former Katsina State Governor Rt. Hon. Aminu Masari as chairman, while former Speaker of the House of Representatives Rt. Hon. Patricia Etteh would serve as a member.
The governor urged commissioners, advisers, permanent secretaries, and other government appointees to give maximum cooperation to ward and local government officers assigned to conduct the exercise.
Commenting on the outcome of the governorship primary election, Governor Sule congratulated Senator Ahmed Aliyu Wadada on his victory and urged aggrieved aspirants and their supporters to accept the outcome in good faith.
Drawing from his personal experience in his home ward, Gudi Station, the governor noted that democracy naturally produces winners and losers, warning against attributing electoral defeat to manipulation simply because a preferred candidate failed to emerge victorious.
“Anybody going into an election knowing that I must win, and if I don’t win it is because they rigged me, that person has more to learn about democracy,” he said.
Governor Sule also commended one of the governorship aspirants, Dr Liman Hassan Mohammed, SAN, for displaying statesmanship by personally calling to congratulate him shortly after the results were announced.
He further praised security agencies, including the Nigerian Police Force and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), for ensuring a peaceful atmosphere during the governorship primary election across the state.
Speaking at the meeting, the Nasarawa State APC Chairman, Dr Aliyu Bello, congratulated Governor Sule and party loyalists for the successful conduct of the governorship primary, describing Senator Wadada’s emergence as well deserved.
Dr Bello expressed satisfaction with the resilience and commitment displayed by party members during the exercise, while warning that the party had taken note of individuals who worked against the governorship candidate.
Despite this, he extended an olive branch to aggrieved members and called for unity and reconciliation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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