Stakeholders Fault Sule For APC Loss In Nasarawa

Stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Nasarawa State have accused Governor Abdullahi Sule of involvement in anti-party activities. 

According to them, Governor Sule was instrumental in the loss of APC in the state in the Presidential and National Assembly election held on February 25.

Hon. Dominic Alancha in a statement said the Governor worked against the President-Elect, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, whom he did not support during the primary election of the party. 

“It is with utmost pleasure that we have called this press conference to address some issues, specifically as they relate to Nasarawa State on the forthcoming governorship and State House of Assembly election slated for this month, March 11. 

“Before we go into the details of the upcoming elections, it is pertinent that we look at the Presidential and National Assembly elections that held on February 25th, where our party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) lost to the Labour Party (LP), Social Democratic Party (SDP) and People's Democratic Party (PDP).

"The LP won the Presidential election with the total votes of 191,361, while the SDP won two out of the three Senatorial seats.

“As stakeholders, we are concerned with the situation in the state as it is presently under the Leadership of APC, H E. Engr. A. A. Sule as Governor and also the National Chairman of the APC, Senator Abdullahi Adamu; the Honourable Minister of Environment, Barr Mohammed H. Abdullahi; the National Coordinator of the Tinubu/Shettima Grassroots Independent Campaign Council (TSGICC), H.E. Silas Agara and the Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), Alhaji Nasir Isa Kwarra, and a host of other leaders with Federal appointments from the state.

"Ordinary, it would be expected that APC would have had a good show in the elections. Unfortunately, that was not so. 

“Nasarawa State is a cosmopolitan state politically, in the sense that many different political parties had won elections in the state. The state has been governed by PDP, CPC and now APC. 

“The last Presidential and National Assembly elections have alluded to this as the Presidency and NASS were won by different political parties different from the state governing party.

“However, we will like to state that the defeat of APC in Nasarawa State was orchestrated by internal wrangling, especially from aggrieved state government functionaries.

"Most of them are APC government appointees, who worked against the party and are planning to work against the party in the governorship and State House of Assembly elections. 

“They are already converging and hobnobbing with the candidates and Senator-Elect of SDP in Keffi to perfect their gang up against the party with a view to ridiculing the National Chairman of our party and other leaders of thought.

“We therefore say that the governorship and the House of Assembly elections slated for March 11 should be different. 

“We are calling on all concerned to come out and address the issues that could hamper the victory of the APC in the March 11 election in Nasarawa State. 

“We believe that Governor Abdullahi Sule is one of the governors considered to have done well and given the dividends of democracy,” he said while addressing the press. 

Accusing Governor Sule of aiding the defeat of APC in the state, he said: “It is pertinent that we expect the people of Nasarawa State to be circumspect in the March 11 in the governorship and State House of Assembly elections. 

“However, it is evidently clear that Governor Abdullahi  Sule’s appointees from Nasarawa West and Nasarawa North are determined and are mobilizing to only vote for the Engr A. A Sule in the governorship election and vote against all the APC state House of assembly candidates in the March 11 election under a special arrangement entered with the SDP.

"This set of persons are clearly brandishing that they are acting on the authority of the governor. 

“It is also an open secret and no longer news that most of the candidates of the SDP are said to be funded by the Governor of Nasarawa State, who in our findings has continued to encourage anti-party activities in the state.

"This is the more reason why his appointees and associates fought and are still fighting the party with reckless abandon. 

“Governor A. A Sule needs to come out clean on this.

"We expect that by now, the Governor who is well aware of the anti-party activities of his appointees should have followed the way of his counterpart in Katsina State, who immediately fired those found to have engaged in anti-party activities. 

“The onus is on the governor to do the needful before we go into the election come March 11. Else, we will go into it as a divided house. 

“No governor will enjoy or have a favourable working condition with a State House of Assembly led by the opposition.

"He who must come to equity, must come with a clean hands, hence our call on the governor to do the needful before it is too late,” Alancha added.