Ex-IGP Not Our Candidate — Nasarawa SDP Chairman

The chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Nasarawa State, Hon. Danlami Muhammed Musa, has clarified that the former inspector-general of police (IGP), Mohammed Abubakar Adamu, whose billboards have flooded the state as the party’s governorship candidate, is an aspirant and has not secured the ticket to fly the party’s flag for the 2027 elections.

Musa stated this while responding to questions from journalists in Lafia on the status of the party’s governorship ticket.

“Everywhere you go round the state, you see billboards of the ex-IGP as the candidate… He’s not a candidate, he’s an aspirant seeking to be the candidate of the party,” the chairman said.

He explained that the SDP had concluded its primaries and submitted the names of its candidates for all 24 State Assembly constituencies, five House of Representatives seats, three senatorial seats and the governorship to INEC.

According to him, anyone joining the party now can only be regarded as an aspirant seeking substitution, not a candidate.

“The primary is over now, we are looking at substitution. There is no substitution up to now. They are aspiring now. They are not candidates,” he noted.

Musa, who declared himself the current governorship candidate of the party, confirmed that the former police chief had revalidated his membership of the SDP.

“The IG himself has done revalidation as a member of the party,” he said.

He, however, stressed that membership does not automatically translate to candidacy.

“Being a member will not determine that he will be the candidate of the party now. He’s just a member of the party. When the substitution comes, if I will not be able to continue, we’ll have an arrangement with the party, then we’ll allow you to come in,” he added.

When asked if the ex-IGP had approached him for any discussion about taking over the ticket, the chairman replied: “Never. He has not.”

Musa insisted he had no intention of withdrawing from the governorship race, saying he had no deficiency that warranted withdrawal.

“What is the deficiency I have that will make me withdraw? If I have any deficiency to withdraw, I will withdraw, but I don’t have any deficiency to withdraw. I’m ready to push. They can’t force me to withdraw,” he said.

The Minority Whip of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Solomon Akwashiki, also confirmed that the former IGP is not yet a candidate of the party. He, however, said he was not ruling out the possibility of the former police chief becoming the party’s standard-bearer.

He dismissed Musa’s claim to the party’s governorship candidature as fictitious, alleging that he was not even a member of the state executive.

“I wish you had asked him who is a candidate? By His mercy and grace, I was elected on the platform of the SDP as a member of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly and the Minority Whip. Danlami Musa is no longer the SDP Chairman. He is parading himself,” Akwashiki said.

According to him, the authentic chairman is Barrister Ajegena Illiya, who emerged through a congress monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Department of State Services (DSS).

“Go to INEC, they will give you their report. The DSS were there. We did our primaries. Can you ask Danlami where he conducted his primary election?” he queried.