By Isa Galanbi

It is both ironic and deeply misleading that Ibrahim Musa Andafu’s recent piece which appeared today in Nasarawa Mirror attempts to cloak raw political opportunism under the garb of loyalty and legacy. His article, titled “Disloyalty and the Nasarawa APC Divide: Who Truly Betrayed Who?”, is less an honest inquiry into the political tensions within some political camps and more a desperate revisionist attempt to rewrite history and shift blame from those who have willingly undermined party cohesion.

Let us begin with the central premise that Governor Abdullahi A. Sule somehow betrayed Senator Umaru Tanko Al-Makura. This is an outrageous inversion of the truth. Governor Sule’s rise to power was a testament to APC unity at the time. Yes, Al-Makura played a role in that ascension, as is customary in party politics. But what Andafu deliberately omits is that Al-Makura chose Sule, not the other way around. No governor anywhere is expected to serve as a permanent political errand boy for his predecessor. Governance is not a monarchy. The idea that Sule should eternally subordinate his vision to Al-Makura’s dictates is not only undemocratic, but dangerously unwise.

Andafu’s use of rational choice theory betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of political loyalty. What he labels as Sule’s “deliberate distancing” was in fact a necessary evolution of leadership. Sule was elected to govern, not to serve as Al-Makura’s extension. The insinuation that he was expected to support Al-Makura’s personal ambitions, including his failed bid for APC National Chairman regardless of broader party interests, reveals just how entangled certain actors are in entitlement politics. While in truth, we have all gone beyond that.

Now to the supposed victim, Hon. Tanimu Al-Makura (Tancy). If arrogance, public defiance, and factional sabotage are now being rebranded as “a loyalist’s counterpunch”, then the camp he is defending in deeper trouble more than we thought. Loyalty does not mean blind allegiance to a godfather at the expense of institutional stability. Tancy’s behavior , confrontational, divisive, and immature, as they appeared, has only deepened the rift. His conduct is not loyalty, it is sycophancy gone rogue.

Furthermore, the suggestion that Governor Sule has created a new political “empire” is laughable. What he has done and rightly so is open the political space to merit, ideas, and results. He has allowed fresh voices to emerge, unburdened by old allegiances and power structures. The people of Nasarawa are not interested in dynasties or the preservation of outdated political fiefdoms. They want progress and development not outdated sentiments.

Andafu also deploys manipulative moral equivalence when he claims that both sides are “positioning for 2027.” That may be true, but let us be clear: only one side is using legacy politics as a battering ram to discredit the sitting governor. Governor Sule has governed with restraint, avoided public mudslinging, and focused on delivering results. It is his critics, embittered by loss of access to public funds who are fueling division.

In conclusion, the real betrayal is not Governor Sule’s independence, it is the refusal of certain actors to accept political evolution. The APC in Nasarawa cannot and must not be held hostage by the ambitions of those who see politics as inheritance. Thank God, in APC today we have leaders who are well grounded under the command and leadership of Engr. Abdullahi Sule.
Loyalty to a leader is admirable; loyalty to progress is indispensable. If Andafu wants to talk about betrayal, he need look no further than the mirror held up by the very individuals he so feverishly defends.