2027: Why I may contest for senate, says Governor Sule

…Apologises to cabinet for breaking news outside Exco

Abdullahi Sule, the governor of Nasarawa State has broken his long silence on whether he will seek elected office after leaving office in 2027, saying he may contest for the Nasarawa North senatorial seat following mounting pressure from leaders and people of the zone.

The governor made the disclosure on Saturday when members of the Nasarawa State Executive Council, led by Emmanuel Akabe, the Deputy Governor visited him at his country home in Gudi to pay the traditional Sallah homage marking the end of Ramadan.

Governor Sule, who had previously made clear that he had no intention of contesting any elective office after completing his tenure, said the pressure from his people had become too strong to ignore.

He told his cabinet members that delegations had visited him privately and publicly, and that calls urging him to contest had not stopped.

He said his original plan was to support someone else for the senatorial seat, a person who had worked hard for him and lost his own election. But that plan ran into trouble when even the man he was trying to help turned around and joined those urging the governor himself to run.

The governor also pointed to the need to provide quality representation for the North in the Senate as a key consideration in his decision, saying the region deserves a strong and effective voice at the national assembly.

He noted that he is still making consultations with relevant stakeholders before arriving at a final decision.

He said it was the visit of his traditional ruler from Akwanga, Samson Gamu Yare, the Chun Mada who introduced him publicly as the distinguished senator for the zone, and repeated public calls by the paramount rulers of the zone, that finally pushed him to speak openly.

Governor Sule explained that the day before the Sallah gathering at Gudi, at a meeting attended by traditional rulers and senior politicians from across Nasarawa North, he finally gave them his word.

“With all the pressure coming from our leaders, and so I don’t want them to feel offended that I have not been responding, I promise them I will contest when the time comes,” he said.

The governor apologised to his Executive Council members for not informing them first before the word got out, describing the statement he made the previous day as one that should rightly have been made first at the cabinet level.

Governor Sule traced his reluctance to the difficult experience of the last governorship election, saying that experience shaped his firm resolve to avoid future electoral contests. He said that resolve held until the pressure from Nasarawa North became impossible to set aside.

Earlier in an opening speech, Akabe  who led the Executive Council delegation, used the occasion to renew the loyalty of the cabinet to the governor.

“We will swim with you until we get to the touch line, and together we will shout hooray.  We have come, we have seen, we have conquered,” the Deputy Governor said.