By Rayyanu Bala

No sooner had Governor Abdullahi Sule made his position clear on adherence to the zoning principle in Nasarawa State by unequivocally stating that he is a product of zoning and would not do anything to undermine it, than some individuals opposed to zoning within the APC began quietly reaching out to the media to fan the embers of division within the party. This calculated effort explains the emergence of misleading headlines such as “Zoning Will Tear APC Apart in Nasarawa.”
Recently, some online platforms have argued that because certain party leaders are opposed to zoning while others support it, the APC is heading toward an inevitable crisis. These claims are nothing more than an attempt to stop Governor Abdullahi Sule from pursuing the zoning principle in the state.
The issue of zoning has already been settled clearly and unequivocally from the moment the leader of the APC in Nasarawa State, Governor Abdullahi Sule, made it known that he himself is a product of zoning and would never undermine the very process that produced him. So why resurrect the issue and frame it as a looming crisis?
Of course, there are individuals who want the public to believe that zoning will create a crisis in the APC in Nasarawa State. However, those familiar with party dynamics and political transitions would not agree with the insinuation that zoning leads to division. This is not the first time the APC has navigated transition challenges, and it certainly will not be the last. What has kept the party stable over the years is not luck, but a shared understanding of fairness, balance, and inclusion, values at the very heart of zoning.
Every election year comes with its own soundtrack of anxiety. As the 2027 governorship race approaches, familiar headlines are bound to reappear: “Zoning will divide APC,” “Zoning versus merit,” “Power blocs at war.” These narratives are predictable, but they miss a fundamental point: zoning in Nasarawa APC is not an unresolved controversy, it is a settled matter.
Governor Abdullahi Sule did not emerge in a vacuum. As he has repeatedly stated, both privately and publicly, he is a direct beneficiary of the zoning arrangement. A leader who rose through such a framework cannot logically turn around to dismantle it. That fact alone should put to rest the fear that zoning is a dangerous, unresolved landmine waiting to explode.
Some commentators attempt to frame the debate as “zoning versus merit,” as though the two are mutually exclusive. This argument is weak. Zoning does not mean that just anybody from a particular zone must emerge as candidate. It merely determines where the candidate should come from; competence, capacity, acceptability, and popularity still matter. The APC has applied this logic before, and it will do so again.
The Nasarawa West argument, for instance, is not rooted in aggression or entitlement, but in continuity of an existing understanding. Nasarawa North and South have had their turns. A rotational expectation naturally follows. By recognizing this expectation does not weaken the APC; rather, it strengthens trust and cohesion within the party.
The existence of divergent opinions does not amount to division. The APC as a party is not a cult; it is a political party where diverse views naturally exist. However, party elders have always shown the capacity to close ranks around collective decisions when the time comes.
More importantly, stakeholders from Nasarawa South and other zones have openly pledged loyalty to Governor Sule’s leadership and have committed to following party directives once they are formally announced.
If anything, the real danger in the zoning debate lies in abandoning the principle altogether. Doing so would send a damaging signal that agreements and political balance do not matter.
The APC in Nasarawa is not naïve. It understands that the opposition is watching closely, hoping for cracks. That is precisely why zoning will not be jettisoned, and why it will not tear the APC apart. Not now, and not in 2027.