Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State says his predecessor, Senator Tanko Al-Makura, is “overdoing it” by attempting to handpick his successor ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
Sule, who will complete his constitutionally permitted two terms in 2027, made the remarks Monday on _Politics Today_, a Channels Television programme, amid disagreements over his endorsement of Senator Ahmed Wadada for the All Progressives Congress ticket.
“To the point where now you say, I will select an aspirant for you to take over from you. I think that’s overdoing it,” Sule said.
He noted that Al-Makura is entitled to back any aspirant but stressed that imposing a candidate crosses the line. “As an individual, he had a preferred aspirant. And he has a right to have a preferred aspirant. And his preferred aspirant may not be my preferred aspirant,” the governor said.
Sule said the disagreement is partly tied to zoning, arguing it would be unfair for the governorship to return to a zone that has held power for 12 years. “It will not be fair to still go back to a zone that has just finished 12 years. That’s my justification,” he said.
The governor disclosed that he consulted widely before settling on Wadada, including briefing a former president and the incumbent president. “I have gone to see the former president, I have gone to see the current president. I have carried them along, that’s not a right, that’s a privilege,” he said.
Sule added that he held discussions with aspirants from the western zone before deciding on a preferred candidate. “If I didn’t carry Senator Tanko Al-Makura along, that’s not his right; if I had done that, that would have been a privilege,” he said.
He maintained that Al-Makura attended all stakeholder meetings leading to the adoption of Wadada, including one he described as “very stormy” between Al-Makura and a former ambassador. “Every meeting of the stakeholders, he was invited to every event we ever had,” Sule said.
Sule reaffirmed Al-Makura’s right to support any aspirant but insisted the zones must be respected. “Because of the fact that they come from two different zones, and I strongly believe then, I believe now, I believe tomorrow that it will not be fair to still go back to a zone that has just finished 12 years.”
