Immediate past governor of Nasarawa State, Senator Umaru Tanko Al-makura, said he supported incumbent Governor Abdullahi Sule to succeed him because of his competence, pedigree and experience of the country’s economic system.

Senator Al-makura stated this while inaugurating his campaign council that will work for his reelection to the Senate, at the Taal Conference Hotel, on Saturday.

According to the former governor, even though he created level playing field for everyone that contested with Governor Sule, he however never hide his preference for Engineer A. A Sule.

He said the people of the state did not make a mistake supporting him back in 2019 to elect Engineer Sule as Governor, stressing that, today, Nasarawa State is better for it.

“I introduced Engineer A. A. Sule. You have all come around me, behind me and virtually every home, every village, every town, you are all for A. A Sule and by the special grace of God, you have elected him as Governor.

“And you can see, we the people of Nasarawa State are not mistaken. We have not made any mistake. If you look at who A. A Sule is, you will know that you have made the right choice.

“One of the things that made me go for A.A Sule, is his competence, his pedigree, his experience, not only in politics but in Nigerian economic system. And today, I can say Nasarawa is the better is the better for it. This gentle engineer went quietly to continue to add value to existing structures in Nasarawa State. Within three and a half years, this gentleman tried his best to add value to each of the projects that were started right from the creation of the state,” Al-makura added.

The former governor used the opportunity of the event to dispel insinuations suggesting that, there is misunderstanding between him and his successor, urging the people to desist from hate speeches, mischieves and blackmail.

“There have been a lot and lot of gossips, misrepresentations, outright lies, to bring disaffection between one group and another. When people attempted to create bad blood between me and A. A Sule, then there is nothing people cannot do.

“And God has made it possible that me and A. A Sule have realised that some people are envious of our affinity and close relationship and they want to scatter it and by God’s grace, this will not happen. Whatever you hear that is not going straight between myself and A. A Sule is blatant lies,” the lawmaker said.

While recollecting how he was elected governor back in 2011, Senator Al-makura appreciated the people of the state for the love, loyalty, commitment and followership he has continued to enjoy from across the state.

“I can’t thank you enough. I am highly overwhelmed today because the kind of support, the kind of love, commitment, all gathered here have rendered to me, in the past 12 years, is something that no words will be able to describe.

“I would like to thank virtually all the citizens of Nasarawa State, because I have seen love, I have seen loyalty, I have seen commitment and I have seen true followers hip in the people of Nasarawa State.

“When I came onboard in 2011, I never had a single councillor. I never had even a single headmaster. I was coming from nowhere. And there was already a sitting governor. But because of your commitment and faith in me, as people of Nasarawa State, you have deployed all your discretions and initiatives to give me support, to elect me as your governor for eight years,” he stated.

Commenting on the event, Senator Al-Al-makura said he was not at the venue to ask the people to vote for him but to appreciate them and notify them of his intention to seek reelection, through his campaign council.

“I am embarking on yet another exercise so that I will continue with the little that I have been able to do in the last four years.

“I don’t need to mention what I have done but I can assure you that in every local government, in every development area, within this zone, there is none that I have not touched physically and infrastructurally.

“And I want to assure you, that if I am given the opportunity for another four years, I will still do much more than what I have already done before,” he stated.

Senator Al-makura also used the opportunity to urge the people to work towards ensuring the victory of Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu at the national level and Engineer Sule at the state level.

He explained that the APC don’t need to go far before selling the party’s presidential candidate to Nigerians as, according to him, Tinubu is a committed democrat who has continously fought for democracy since 1990.

Senator Al-makura added that, this is the best time to give Engineer A.A Sule the best support, in order for Nasarawa State to develop economically.

“I also want you to see the efforts A. A Sule has done, to galvanize support and redirect affairs of this state, so that we will be able to develop economically. And this is the best time to give A. A Sule the best support we need because of what he said about Keana and the Kolmani oil field. The explanations he gave about the potentials of Nasarawa, Keana in particular, I think we need somebody to lead us so that we will be able to reach the Promised Land of excellence, of wealth and prosperity in Nasarawa State,” Al-makura said.