BATTLE FOR NASARAWA’S GOVERNMENT HOUSE

Abdullahi Sule endorses Aliyu Wadada’s candidacy, writes CIKASORO MOHAMMAD

· The public endorsement of Senator Aliyu Wadada as the preferred candidate to succeed Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has attracted commendation from key stakeholders in the state.

· President Tinubu has through coordination and leadership, been able to win eight governors from the opposition parties to the APC, bringing the number of the party’s controlled states to 31. In most of these states, the consensus is that the defecting governors be allowed the party’s tickets to run for second term as a mark of honour and appreciation for their sacrifice.

· Senator Wadada, it would be recalled, was instrumental to building the APC in Nasarawa State. In the build up to the last election, when he saw that the list of delegates had been tampered with in order to deny him the senatorial ticket. He defected to the SDP and won. But he has since returned to the APC where he rightfully belongs.

· What Gov Sule has done is to copy from the template of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu by recognising sacrifice and the symbolic significance of having a returnee of worth back in the party.

· Several ardent supporters of President Tinubu’s reelection have welcomed this development and majority of aspirants are lining up to weigh in on their supporters to accept and support Wadada.

· Unfortunately, there are some people who are not well disposed to Gov Sule’s choice.

One of them is a former national chairman of the party who went ahead to announce an unpopular aspirant as the candidate of the party until Tinubu gave them a shackling at the APC presidential primary.

· The other one, who failed both in his bids to return to the Senate and to become national chairman of APC, wants to be allowed to bring in a stooge in total disregard to the zoning arrangement in the state.

· The more unfortunate thing is that while Gov Sule’s presentation of Wadada to the villa has served to reassure party supporters of the President’s support, the former governor is mobilizing others to protest and create division within the party.

· Governor Sule is a gentleman and a fair minded leader. This he has shown in his relationship with other leaders and the people of the state.

· Prior to his declaration, Gov Sule had met with aspirants and stakeholders in the bid to promote unity in the process of producing a consensus candidate ahead of the system of voting in line with the electoral Act.

· But a former governor, who never consulted with anyone during his era, has proceeded to be the face of opposition by mobilizing forces against a sitting governor.

· Despite this, Gov Sule has maintained his cool in the midst of open provocation and had tried to make him see reason on why he should submit to the principle of party supremacy and accept the decision of the leader of the APC in the state.

· There are moments in leadership that demand firmness, when decisive actions rather than appeasements must be deployed to put things in order.

· The current political situation in the APC in Nasarawa State requires such firmness because if what is happening is constantly overlooked or left to fester, it has the potential of blowing into a major crisis that could negatively affect the party. Gov Sule displayed rare courage by standing with Sen Wadada whose passion for the reelection of President Tinubu is unrivaled.

· The political temperature in Nasarawa State is rising unnecessarily, and much of it stems from the avoidable provocation of former governor Tanko Al-Makura who wants to create a parallel authority in Nasarawa State to challenge Governor Abdullahi Sule. But the governor has taken charge and put a stop to all the distractions that could create a favourable atmosphere for the opposition to strike and take over Nasarawa.

· The APC’s strength in Nasarawa contributes to the national standing of Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Internal instability at the state level risks weakening that advantage. At a time when cohesion is critical, prolonged infighting sends the wrong message to both party faithful and the electorate.

· Any perception of divided authority weakens governance, confuses loyalists, and emboldens opportunists waiting to exploit internal cracks.

· While no one denies the former governor’s attempt to remain politically relevant, there is a thin line between influence and interference. Crossing that line risks destabilizing both governance and party cohesion.

Mohammad writes from Lafia