By Kazeem Waris
A fresh political controversy has erupted within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Nasarawa State following allegations that the party’s presidential rally in Lafia was hijacked by local political interests and turned into a platform for settling political scores.
An APC support group, the Nasarawa Youth Vanguard, has accused Governor Abdullahi Sule of allowing the event, organised to mobilise support for President Bola Tinubu, to be overshadowed by the political ambition of Senator Ahmed Aliyu Wadada, rather than using it to unite party members ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The group expressed displeasure over what it described as the marginalisation and disrespect of former Nasarawa State Governor, Senator Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, insisting that no individual or political faction should monopolise the President’s campaign platform.
In a strongly worded statement issued on Thursday, the group’s convener, Mustapha Yunisa, said the Lafia rally should have been an opportunity to demonstrate unity behind Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, but instead exposed divisions within the state chapter of the ruling party.
The statement, titled: “Lafia Square: You Cannot Appropriate a Presidential Campaign for Personal Political Ambitions,” accused the governor of placing undue emphasis on Wadada’s governorship aspiration at the expense of broader party cohesion.
Yunisa argued that Al-Makura, being a member of the Presidential Campaign Council and North Central Coordinator of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors, deserved recognition and respect at a gathering organised in support of the President.
“Senator Umaru Tanko Al-Makura is not an outsider to the Renewed Hope project. He is a member of the Presidential Campaign Council and the North Central Coordinator of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors. His political relevance, experience, and commitment to the President’s vision deserve recognition and respect,” he said.
The group maintained that although Governor Sule was entitled to support any aspirant of his choice in the state’s governorship contest, such political preferences should not be imposed on a presidential campaign.
“The concern is that Governor Abdullahi Sule appeared more preoccupied with Senator Wadada’s political ambition than with the broader responsibility of uniting all genuine supporters of President Tinubu under one presidential campaign platform,” Yunisa stated.
He added that the governor’s support for Wadada was a legitimate political choice but should not become a basis for excluding other APC stakeholders from activities organised to promote the President.
“If the Governor wishes to campaign for Senator Wadada, he is at liberty to do so. That is a legitimate political pursuit. But a presidential campaign must never become a platform for imposing personal political interests, creating divisions, or alienating other loyal supporters of the President,” he said.
No one owns Tinubu’s presidential campaign
The group further argued that supporters of Tinubu who identify politically with Al-Makura or former Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, have equal democratic rights to participate in the President’s political mobilisation.
It warned against what it described as attempts by individual politicians or factions to determine who qualifies as a genuine supporter of the President.
“You cannot demand loyalty to President Tinubu while treating some of his committed supporters as unwanted guests,” the statement declared.
The group added: “The supporters of President Tinubu, including those who identify with Senator Al-Makura and the political aspirations of former Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Adamu, have every democratic right to participate in the Renewed Hope movement.
“No individual can monopolise that support or determine who is entitled to belong.”
Yunisa insisted that an APC presidential campaign should belong to the President, the party and all genuine supporters, rather than becoming the exclusive preserve of a governor, governorship aspirant or political faction.
“When a rally convened to mobilise support for Tinubu becomes dominated by chants and pressure for a state governorship ambition, it ceases to be presidential and becomes political appropriation,” he said.
Group warns against factional politics
The Nasarawa Youth Vanguard cautioned that political divisions and exclusion could undermine efforts to build a united APC structure in the state ahead of the 2027 elections.
It called for political tolerance, inclusiveness and maturity, urging party leaders to accommodate divergent interests rather than turn campaign activities into platforms for political rivalry.
“Nasarawa needs political maturity, not manufactured divisions; inclusion, not exclusion; and leadership that brings people together rather than pushes them apart,” Yunisa said.
The group stressed that Tinubu’s Renewed Hope project should take precedence over individual political ambitions, warning that internal disagreements could distract party members from the broader objectives of the presidential campaign.
“President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope project is bigger than any individual’s ambition. Let the presidential campaign remain presidential, not a vehicle for settling state-level political scores,” the statement added.
Concluding, Yunisa said the Lafia rally should have focused on the President’s record, the Renewed Hope Agenda and the future of Nasarawa State, rather than perceived attempts to promote particular political interests.
“The rally should have been about Tinubu’s record, Renewed Hope, and the future of Nasarawa. Instead, it became a reminder that ambition, when unchecked, can turn a platform of unity into a stage for exclusion,” he said.
The allegations place fresh attention on political alignments within the Nasarawa APC as stakeholders position themselves ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Governor Sule and Senator Wadada were not quoted as responding to the allegations in the statement made available by the group.
