𝗡𝗮𝘀𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘄𝗮 𝗔𝗣𝗖 𝗦𝗽𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗔𝗹-𝗠𝗮𝗸𝘂𝗿𝗮 𝗥𝗲𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗦𝘂𝗹𝗲’𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗿

A deep rift has emerged within the Nasarawa State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) following Governor Abdullahi Sule’s public endorsement of Senator Aliyu Wadada as his preferred successor for the 2027 governorship election, with former Governor Tanko Al-Makura rejecting the move and insisting on due process.

The development threatens to split the party along factional lines, as two of the state’s most influential political figures find themselves on opposing sides.

Speaking as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, Al-Makura described the governor’s action as “an aberration” and “a little too hasty.”

He argued that since the APC has yet to release official guidelines for the selection of candidates, presenting Wadada to President Bola Tinubu amounts to a violation of due process.

“You’re talking about my view on the visit to the Villa with Wadada to meet Mr. President as his own preferred successor. I think, to a large extent, this, to me, is an aberration,” Al-Makura said.

“It is a little too hasty that at this point in time, when the party has not actually brought out its guidelines for the exercise, and in spite of the fact that quite a number of people are angling for this position, and given the fact there was no proper consultation among critical stakeholders and unanimous understanding with regard to the position of the state or the party, I feel for the governor to take anybody, not even Wadada, to Mr. President at this point in time, is a little too hasty. It is a violation of due process that this exercise is supposed to ensure.”

The former governor, who led Nasarawa State from 2011 to 2019, maintained that while Governor Sule is entitled to have a preferred successor, the process must follow laid-down procedures.

Sule Stands by His Choice

Governor Sule had accompanied Senator Wadada, who represents Nasarawa West in the Senate, to the State House in Abuja for a meeting with President Tinubu following the endorsement.

Sule has said his choice of Wadada followed extensive consultations with stakeholders within and outside the state.

Wadada, who currently chairs the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, defected from the Social Democratic Party (SDP) to the APC in August 2025. His sudden emergence as the governor’s anointed candidate has reportedly unsettled other aspirants and party chieftains.