2027: Nasarawa Governor Sule threatens to sack political appointees with divided loyalty

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By Umar Muhammed, Lafia

Nasarawa state Governor Abdullahi Sule, has threatened to fire any political appointee openly disregarding repeated warnings not to engage in early political activities, particularly openly hobnobbing with any of the governorship aspirants.

The Governor handed the warning while speaking at a one-day sensitization workshop for political appointees in Lafia, the Nasarawa state capital.

The event was part of the continuous training of political office holders towards improved productivity, organized by the Forum of Aides to the Governor on Political Affairs.

While reading the riot act to the political appointees, the Governor warned that he would not hesitate to sack any appointee whose loyalty is not to the government.

“Your loyalty is here. I think you have a choice. The day you say that you are not going to do it the way the Governor is doing it, you have chosen to leave the system, resign and follow your chosen aspirant.

“As far as I am concerned, even I do not know who is going to be the next governor. That is the reason why I have zero hatred for any one of them wanting this position. I have people in mind that I wish it could be them. When the time comes, I will not be afraid to say, this is what I want and this is the reason I want it,” he stated.

He dismissed insinuations suggesting that there are powerful individuals who could influence the choice of the governorship candidate behind the scene.

“If anybody is thinking somewhere that there is somebody sitting anywhere that can sit down and just tell me, Sule, you must do this, that person must go to a mental hospital. There is nothing like that. Those people who can talk to me that way understand me,” he said.

Governor Sule therefore, appealed to the political appointees to join hands with his administration to deliver the mandate given to the government, especially that the 2027 general election is fast approaching.

“The reason why I am talking to you like this is that I see a lot of you follow this one, that one. What are they going to give you? The day I see any of you with any of the aspirants that day, you are fired.

“I am not going to take it anymore. Because, as I said, I hate none of them. I love every one of them, but I want you to know that when the time comes to follow such people, you will follow them, and no one can stop you,” he added.

The Governor said as a team, they have a lot of work to do in order to bring development to Nasarawa State.

“That is the reason that I am pleading with you for us to work together. That is the only way we can work as a team.

By the grace of God, we will do so much in Nasarawa State. We can not continue to heat the polity because there is no need for that.

“I invited President Ahmed Bola Tinubu to come and commission the biggest lithium processing plant in Nigeria located at Endo. Mr. President accepted he will come and commission it. That is what we have to be proud of. I thank every one of us, and I call on you, I plead with you, let us work together for Nasarawa State, not for A. A. Sule but for Nasarawa State,” he said.

He assured that once he came to a conclusion on who will fly the flag of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 governorship election, he will seek the support of all the political appointees.

“I will, by the grace of God, not use my selfish interest. I am not looking for a governor that will give me a house or money or vehicle. Or a job. I don’t need any of that from whoever will be the next governor. I don’t need that. We are going, by grace of God, to bring somebody who will be able to hold these investors together that we have, not to be showing them power or authority. Somebody that has the capacity to work with diplomacy, with respect and hold all these people together so that we can continue to the development of Nasarawa State,” he added.

Governor Sule used the opportunity to decry the use of social media negatively in the state, stressing that social media was created to inform, educate and approve.

He stressed that social media was not meant to used in abusing or insulting others but to bring development.

Delivering the keynote address, State Secretary of the APC, Yarius Dagusa, urged the political appointees to keep track of the implementation of government projects and not to limit their knowledge to only their area of assignment.

Dagusa said this has become necessary in order for the appointees to be in a position to defend the government whenever the need arises.

On his part, Secretary to the Government of Nasarawa State, Labaran Shuaibu Magaji, PhD, further tasked the appointees on keeping institutional memory of government activities at their finger tips.

“Where you are quite in the face of overwhelming criticism against the government, His Excellency has not failed in anyway. He has discharged his responsibility. You are the one that will be responsible and liable to whatever is being said,” he said.

Earlier, in his remarks, Chairman of the Forum of Aides to the Governor on Political Affairs,, who doubles as the Special Adviser on Political Affairs, Hon. Muhammad Baba Shehu, harped on the significance of teamwork in order to give maximum support to the administration.

“Teamwork is the backbone of success and it is essential we recognize and nurture it. When we work together towards a common goal, we pool our skills, our expertise and perspectives together, creating synergy that propel us forward,” he said.

Hon. Shehu announced that moving forward, members of the forum will embark on a working tour across the 13 local government areas to reinforce internal unity, assess the party’s current standing in order to encourage party leaders to hold regular meetings, engage in party activities and other strategic plans.

Also as part of the event, the Director General, Strategic Communication and Event Management, Yakubu Lamai, gave an overview of the development strides of the Governor Sule administration, in order for the appointees to be informed about government activities.