Former Inspector General of Police and frontline gubernatorial aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Nasarawa State, Muhammed Adamu-Abubakar, has raised the alarm over a plot to manipulate the scheduled governorship primary in favor of Governor Abdullahi Sule's preferred successor, Ahmed Aliyu-Wadada.
At a media briefing in Lafia, Adamu-Abubakar, who spoke through his Director General of the 2027 gubernatorial movement, Barrister Musa Hussein, insisted that he would not be intimidated or distracted by the governor's move. He stressed that the electorate—not any individual—would ultimately determine who emerges as governor.
He alleged that ward executives and officials have been subjected to undue pressure to work for Governor Sule's preferred candidate ahead of the party's primaries. He appealed to President Bola Tinubu and the national leadership of the APC to urgently review and nullify any unconstitutional declarations and reaffirm adherence to due process as stipulated in the party's constitution.
According to him, the claims to mobilize the government's machinery have raised serious concerns about the credibility of the party's primaries in the state. His words: “Equally troubling are reports of intimidation directed at public office holders, including local government officials, councillors, and aides, allegedly being coerced to support a particular aspirant under threat of removal. This is unacceptable; public officials are representatives of the people, not instruments of political coercion. Governorship primary is a democratic contest, not a coronation. Every aspirant deserves a fair and level playing field. The use of state influence to favor one undermines party unity and erodes public confidence.”
The director general further maintained that all gubernatorial aspirants seeking the party's ticket enjoy equal status until the outcome of the primaries, affirming that any declaration of a “preferred choice” before the primaries was deemed unofficial and without constitutional backing. Hussein used the opportunity to appeal to party officials at all levels to remain neutral, cautioning that any involvement in premature endorsement or partisan alignment before the primaries would be considered misconduct and would be resisted.
The ex-IGP group urged the national leadership of the party to urgently review developments in Nasarawa State with a view to sanctioning any faulty process that runs contrary to the Electoral Act. It will be recalled that on April 16, 2026, at a meeting with political appointees in Government House, Lafia, Governor Abdullahi Sule endorsed Senator Aliyu-Wadada as his preferred successor.
