By Rayyanu Bala

Following the formal declaration by Abdullahi Sule endorsing Ahmed Aliyu Wadada as his preferred gubernatorial candidate for Nasarawa State, a barrage of insinuations has emerged. Claims that he is not an indigene, that he is not the most qualified, and that the governor has no right to anoint a candidate have all surfaced.
These reactions are not unexpected; they are part and parcel of political shenanigans. In politics, one hears all kinds of narratives—both positive and negative.
However, what is most laughable is the claim that Wadada is not a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), but instead belongs to the Social Democratic Party (SDP). Nothing could be further from the truth. Many of those making such claims today cannot match his longstanding commitment to the APC.
Wadada was among the key figures from the nPDP bloc who contributed to the merger that led to the formation of the APC. His contributions to the growth and sustainability of the party in Nasarawa State and at the national level surpass those of many of the current aspirants within the APC.
The factors that led to his defection from the APC to the SDP ahead of the 2023 general elections, when he was aspiring for a Senate seat, are well documented and widely known. Even after joining the SDP, he worked tirelessly for the victory of the APC in 2023, despite being a member of another party at the time.
Therefore, the argument that Wadada is an SDP man rests on a premise that is no longer accurate or tenable.
First, Ahmed Aliyu Wadada is not currently operating as an opposition figure in the way he has been portrayed. He defected back to the APC over a year ago. His return was neither quiet nor ambiguous; it followed due process. He formally registered as a member in his Keffi ward, was received at the party secretariat, and was publicly welcomed back into the APC fold. More importantly, Abdullahi Sule himself received Wadada at the Government House, signaling institutional acceptance rather than a backdoor entry.
Thus, portraying him as a “card-carrying SDP figure” being imposed on the APC is outdated. Politics is dynamic, and party alignments shift. Defections—especially back into a ruling party—are neither new nor inherently illegitimate in Nigeria’s political landscape.
Second, the reference to his role as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts does not prove current party disloyalty. Committee leadership in the National Assembly does not always change immediately following party defections and often reflects prior arrangements, ranking, or internal Senate decisions. Holding that position is not, in itself, evidence of continued alignment with the SDP.
Third, if the concern is truly about party loyalty and internal democracy, then the argument should be grounded in present realities—his current standing in the APC, his political record, and his acceptability among party members—not on an outdated party label. Otherwise, it risks appearing less like a principled stance and more like a selective narrative.
If there are legitimate objections to Wadada’s emergence as a preferred candidate, those objections should be clearly articulated. Are they based on performance, ideology, electability, or internal party processes? Continuing to frame him as an outsider, despite his formal reintegration into the APC, is neither strong nor sustainable.
Those opposed to his candidacy would be better served focusing on substantive issues rather than relying on claims that no longer reflect the current political reality.