Wadada appeals return of IGP Adamu, preaches APC unity

From Abel Leonard, Lafia

Nasarawa State’s 2027 All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Ahmed Aliyu Wadada, on Tuesday led a delegation to Government House, Lafia, on a thank you visit to Governor Abdullahi Sule following his emergence as the party’s flag bearer, with the occasion bringing together APC chieftains, party faithful, government appointees and supporters from across the state.

Receiving the delegation, Governor Sule described the occasion as historic and reaffirmed his confidence in Wadada’s candidacy.

“Today, we are here once more to celebrate our candidate for the governorship election, Senator Ali Wadada, who I have always said, Inshallah, is the next governor,” Sule declared, also congratulating President Bola Tinubu, who he said secured close to 12 million votes at the presidential primary.

The governor used the occasion to address post primary tensions, urging party members to approach political opponents with restraint rather than hostility.

“All those who are contesting against us are not our enemies. They also believe in Nasarawa State. Let us approach them with caution, not with hatred. Let us approach them with love,” he said, promising not to interfere in Wadada’s administration except where necessary.

In what was perhaps the most significant moment of the occasion, Wadada made a direct and emotional appeal to retired Inspector General of Police Mohammed Adamu Abubakar, who contested the primary alongside him but has since defected from the APC, to return to the fold, drawing a parallel with his own experience in 2018 when he lost a primary but chose to remain in the party.

“I conceded to a defeat in 2018 to 2019 and did not only concede but submitted myself to both the party and the government, which culminated in me spearheading the campaign council that delivered our proud engineer Abdullahi Sule,” Wadada recalled, before turning his appeal directly to the retired IGP.

“I call on him to learn from me. When and if he does that, he is not doing it for Wadada but rather doing it for Nasarawa State,” he said.

Nasarawa State APC Chairman, Dr Aliyu Bello, reaffirmed the party’s commitment to the zoning arrangement that produced Wadada as candidate, calling on all aspirants who participated in the primary to join the campaign and work collectively towards victory in 2027, while warning against internal divisions that could hand advantage to opposition parties.

The event ended on a celebratory note with a performance by the Nasarawa State Cultural Troupe.