Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has blamed the All Progressives Congress’ (APC) defeat in the Osun State governorship election on the alleged interference of politicians based in Abuja.
Sule spoke on Tuesday in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, while presenting Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) acknowledgement slips to APC candidates contesting the governorship and State House of Assembly elections.
The governor argued that the APC would have retained Osun State if not for the involvement of some Abuja-based politicians.
“APC lost partly because of the Abuja politicians, you know, because if not for some of these Abuja politicians, there was no way for APC to lose in Osun,” he said.
According to Sule, the election also demonstrated the significant advantage enjoyed by an incumbent governor, stressing that the influence of a sitting governor should not be underestimated.
“What it means is that the power of a sitting governor is not something you can joke around with. That’s the message that was sent, actually, in Osun,” Sule stated.
He dismissed the celebration surrounding the APC’s loss, arguing that those celebrating the outcome had failed to appreciate what the result represented.
“So, for people who are celebrating, they don’t even understand what the hell they are celebrating. What they are celebrating is that the power of a sitting governor in Osun is what has stopped them from winning,” he said.
Sule subsequently drew a comparison with Nasarawa, where he noted that the APC also has the advantage of having a powerful incumbent governor.
“I’m not going to brag about anything that we are going to do, but what I can tell you is that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has done well.”
The governor’s remarks came as the APC commenced early mobilisation for the 2027 general elections in Nasarawa State.
He appealed to party candidates to avoid sycophancy, blackmail, underhand dealings and anti-party activities as preparations for the elections intensify.
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Sule also thanked the APC State Chairman and members of the State Working Committee for involving him in the presentation ceremony, saying it gave him the opportunity to interact with some candidates he was meeting for the first time.
“It is time, because politics actually involve, you know, a lot of sycophancy, blackmail, you know, underhand, and things like that. I’m begging you in the name of God, don’t get involved in that,” the governor said.
He further warned candidates against supporting rival political parties while publicly campaigning under the APC platform.
“When you are campaigning, campaign for APC. Don’t go with the drama that maybe I can actually campaign for myself and campaign for another candidate of another party, if you do that, you know, people will see. And the people that see, they are also going to make sure that they react to you in that manner,” he said.
“I don’t believe in this anti-party, I don’t believe in this realignment, I don’t believe in that. And I’m begging you also not to believe in the same,” he added, urging them to “go out there and vote for the party that you believe in.”
Explaining the purpose of the INEC acknowledgement slips, Sule said the documents confirm the electoral commission’s recognition of the candidates and enable them to check that their names have been correctly entered.
He urged the candidates to report and correct any errors without delay to prevent mistakes from appearing on the ballot papers.
Deputy Speaker of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Mohammed Oyanki, said all 24 state constituencies were represented at the event.
“Your Excellency, these are times that we need each other the most. Your Excellency, we will do our best. Insha’Allah, Rabbil Alamin, we’ll do our best to make sure we see Ahmed Aliyu Wadada, distinguished Senator, succeeds you,” Oyanki said.
He said lawmakers from the Nasarawa Northern Zone had been given “a special assignment” to work towards ensuring Sule succeeds in his bid to become a senator.
The presentation of the INEC acknowledgement slips formed part of the APC’s early mobilisation efforts in Nasarawa ahead of the 2027 general elections.