Senator Ahmed  Wadada Aliyu  now flies the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship flag for the 2027 general election in Nasarawa State after the emerging winner of the party’s primary election with a landslide victory.
Wadada, who represents Nasarawa West Senatorial District in the Senate, secured 195,285 votes to defeat six other aspirants in the primary election conducted across the state’s 147 electoral wards.
Chairman of the Nasarawa State Governorship Primary Election Committee, Professor Theodore Bala Maiyaki, SAN, announced the result on Friday night in Lafia, declaring Wadada duly elected and returned as the APC governorship candidate.
According to the results announced by the committee, former Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu Abubakar, came second with 49,675 votes, while Prof. Mohammed Sani Haruna scored 5,844 votes to place third.
Other contestants included Dr. Liman Hassan Mohammed, SAN, who polled 863 votes, Zaka Lekwi Yakubu, PhD, with 396 votes, Dr. Fatima Abdullahi Adamu, who got 146 votes, and Tanimu Adamson, who scored 64 votes.
Declaring the outcome, Prof. Maiyaki said Wadada satisfied all constitutional requirements and APC guidelines, having secured the highest number of valid votes cast during the exercise.
He disclosed that elections did not take place in a few wards due to isolated incidents of violence, but explained that the total number of registered voters in the affected areas could not alter the margin of victory, making a rerun unnecessary.
The committee chairman also revealed that the result of one ward was cancelled over incidents of over voting.
Maiyaki described the exercise as largely peaceful and commended security agencies, including the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and the Department of State Services, for ensuring adequate security throughout the process.
He particularly praised the Assistant Inspector-General of Police overseeing the zone and the Nasarawa State Commissioner of Police for their commitment to maintaining law and order during the primaries.
The committee also acknowledged the presence of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) observers and Civil Society Organisations that monitored the conduct of the election across the state.
Maiyaki further commended Governor Abdullahi Sule for his support and hospitality to the committee, describing him as instrumental to the successful conduct of the exercise.
Wadada had earlier received the endorsement of Governor Sule ahead of the primary election and is now set to lead the APC into the 2027 governorship contest in Nasarawa State.