Abdullahi Sule Talks Tough, Warns Al-Makura Not To Handpick Successor For Him

 

 

By  Akanni Toba

 

Nasarawa Governor, Abdullahi Sule, has warned his predecessor in office, Tanko Al-Makura, against overplaying his hands by trying to choose a successor for him.

 

Sule, who is at the twilight of his two-term tenure,  stressed that Al-Makura should allow him to decide who takes the reins of power from him in 2027.

 

 

 

The governor spoke on ‘Politics Today’, a programme on Channels Television.

 

Sule noted that he is not favourably disposed to Al-Makura’s preferred successor.

 

He added that his choice of Ahmed Wadada as the person to fly the flag of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027 has led to disagreements with his predecessor.

 

The governor stressed that while Sule is entitled to support any aspirant of his choice, he shouldn’t attempt to impose any of the  aspirants on him.

 

 

“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,” he said.

 

“But 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.”

 

He said the disagreement partly stems from zoning considerations.

 

 

“Especially when it’s coming from a zone that I don’t believe is the right zone. So it’s not biting the finger that fed me,” he said.

 

Sule said he had engaged key leaders, including a former president and the incumbent, on the matter.

 

“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 continued, “I had this discussion that I have just told you with the aspirants of the western zone, and I decided to go and brief Mr President with the 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.”

 

Sule added that Al-Makura participated in several stakeholder meetings before a decision was reached to adopt Wadada.

 

“As far as the meetings are concerned, you know those meetings that we have had throughout, including the meetings that I said became very stormy between him and one of his childhood friends who was a former ambassador that made me to even rush and end the meeting, he was at those meetings,” he said.

 

 

 

“Every meeting of the stakeholders, he was invited to every event we ever had.”

 

 

 

“You know the truth of the matter is that Senator Tanko Al-Makura, as an individual, he had a preferred aspirant, and he has the right to have a preferred aspirant, and his preferred aspirant may not be my preferred aspirant,” the governor added.

 

“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. That’s my justification.”