Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule is committed to the progressive ideals of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC), his chief press secretary, Mr Ibrahim Addra, has assured.
In a statement yesterday in Lafia, Mr Addra also said his boss’s loyalty to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu remained unwavering.
He spoke against a recent statement credited to one Saleh Zazzaga, chairman of the North-Central All Progressives Congress Forum, accusing the governor of “playing double game” ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
In the said statement, Mr Zazzaga queried Governor Sule’s speech at a reception in Lafia on May 3, 2025, in which he was quoted as having said that only President Muhammadu Buhari can speak for the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) ahead of the 2027 elections.
“There is only one person in this world who can decide for the CPC: our father, Muhammadu Buhari. Nobody speaks for the CPC more than this man. The day he says CPC is with you, then CPC is with you. The day he says CPC is not with you, it is not with you. Because he is the CPC himself. He keeps carrying his 12 million voters along with him everywhere he goes,” he was quoted as saying.
However, the statement did not go down well with Zazzaga, who urged Governor Sule to “declare whether he stands with President Bola Tinubu or with those in the camp of former President Buhari, who we know do not wish the Tinubu administration success.”
Responding, Mr Addra faulted Zazzaga’s “mischievous” outing and described the statement as “attention-seeking.” He pointed out that his principal’s position that “only President Buhari can truly decide for the CPC” was a pragmatic recognition of the former president’s unique position as the bloc’s founder and that to claim otherwise is to ignore the nuance of intra-party dynamics.
“Governor Sule’s call for unity, including his appeal to former AGF and minister of justice Abubakar Malami to remain in the APC, was a strategic push to consolidate all legacy blocs under the APC umbrella. This aligns perfectly with President Tinubu’s vision of a broad-based, inclusive party. To insinuate that Governor Sule is “against” Tinubu because he acknowledged Buhari’s historical role is not only illogical but a deliberate distortion of context,” he stated.
Mr Addra also faulted the allegation that his boss “opposed” President Tinubu’s tax reforms, saying Zazzaga’s position on the matter exposed his lack of knowledge and understanding of the issue. He said the president appreciated the Northern governors position on the matter and acted accordingly.
He also noted that the group’s attempt to pitch his principal against Senator Al-makura, his predecessor and political ally, is disingenuous, noting that both leaders have worked collaboratively to redefine governance under the umbrella of the APC in Nasarawa State and beyond.
