Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule has stated that former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration was severely undermined by sycophants who have since turned against him.
Governor Sule made the remarks in Abuja during the 2nd Raymond Dokpesi Diamond Lecture, where he was conferred with a Fellowship by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR).
Reflecting on his own experience in public office, Governor Sule issued a stark warning about the dangers of flattery in leadership.
“By being a governor, I have seen what sycophancy can do,” he said. “I have seen people actually sit in the presence of President Muhammadu Buhari to tell him, ‘Oh, you are the best ever. Nobody can do this better.’ But the minute Buhari left government, they started saying, ‘Oh, he was one of the worst presidents we had ever seen.’ These are the same people but in different moments. That is what sycophancy is all about.”
The governor contrasted this betrayal with the steadfast loyalty he maintains towards his predecessor, Senator Tanko Al-Makura, who persuaded him to run for governor in 2019.
“I will forever be grateful to Al-Makura,” he declared.
Governor Sule also recounted his first foray into politics in 2007, an experience that exposed him to the demanding nature of Nigerian campaigns.
“At the end of every meeting, they would ask for money, and I would tell them I don’t have naira, I have dollars, and they would say, ‘That is okay!’” he recalled, drawing laughter from the audience.
He further detailed how he resolved border clashes with Benue State by applying a lesson from his father. “My father always told me not to inherit enemies. That was why I led a delegation of major traditional rulers from Nasarawa State to visit Governor Ortom, where the issues were comprehensively addressed.”
The event also served to honour the late media pioneer, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, whom Governor Sule described as “a fearless media trailblazer.”
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