VP Shettima Urges Nasarawa Policy Continuity, Endorses Senator Wadada

In what could be described as an endorsement of Senator Ahmed Aliyu Wadada as the All Progressives Congress (APC) choice for Governor Abdullahi Sule’s successor, Vice President Kashim Shettima has called on him to sustain the ongoing transformation that has earned Nasarawa State a pride of place among the country’s most developing states.

Speaking during the Nasarawa Investment Summit 2026 on Wednesday in Lafia, Shettima said development must be transferred from one generation of leadership to the next without disruption, stressing that Wadada possesses the requisite qualifications and background as a technocrat to continue the reforms that have made the state an investors’ destination.

“Policy continuity is the soul of investment, and the Liberia Declaration that has been signed is therefore an economic covenant, a public assurance that Nasarawa’s progress will outlive elections and endure beyond personalities,” he said.

“I want to assure the investing public that, by the grace of God, seated in our midst here is the next governor of Nasarawa. He will abide by the contract,” he declared.

He said Wadada’s experience in the country’s economic ecosystem, including the banking sector, would help him consolidate Governor Sule’s reforms.

“So he knows what is needed, and he will continue from where Engineer A. A. Sule stops,” he noted.

Shettima praised Sule for understanding the dynamics of power, stressing that the governor had survived its test and emerged unspoiled by its allure.

“Abdullahi Sule is a good man. I am absolutely certain that the people of Nasarawa will miss him. And by the grace of God, the replacement that you will get is also another technocrat in government,” he stated.

According to him, Sule’s passion for development aligns strongly with the national direction led by the reform-minded President Bola Tinubu.

“Across the federation, we are laying the foundation for an economy that rewards production, protects enterprise, and gives our states the room to become engines of growth,” he said.

He noted that under Tinubu, Nigeria had moved from the edge of a fiscal trap in 2023 to recording GDP growth of 3.87% in 2025, a fiscal deficit narrowed to 3.0% of GDP, and a balance of payments surplus of $6.83 billion. He also said net foreign exchange reserves had risen from $3.99 billion at the end of 2023 to over $46 billion in 2025.

Also speaking, Governor Sule said the 2026 summit represents a defining moment for the state’s economic trajectory, describing it as a strategic platform to consolidate existing gains and chart a pathway for the next phase of economic transformation.

He noted that the summit is designed to strengthen reforms and embed them in durable institutions so that progress endures beyond individual administrations.

The summit, the third since the administration came into office, was themed: “Bold Transition: Building a Legacy for a Sustainable Future.”