By Our Correspondent

The Umaisha/Ugya State Constituency of Toto Local Government Area of Nasarawa State was on Saturday thrown into a flurry of political activities as former Speaker of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Ibrahim Balarabe Abdullahi, commenced grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Balarabe, who visited his hometown of Umaisha as part of efforts to mobilise support for his preferred candidates, was welcomed by a large crowd of residents, supporters, women and youths who gathered across the town to show solidarity with the former Speaker.
The former Speaker and his supporters reportedly moved through parts of the town before converging at a central venue where political leaders, community members and supporters gathered to listen to his message ahead of the 2027 elections.
Addressing the gathering, Balarabe expressed appreciation to the people for continuing to stand by him after his exit from office.
He said his visit was aimed at putting his political structure in order and mobilising his people ahead of the 2027 general elections, which he described as fast approaching.
At the gathering, Balarabe endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a return ticket, Senator Ahmed Wadada Aliyu for governor of Nasarawa State, Dr. Faisal Shuaibu for the Nasarawa West Senatorial District and Hon. Muhammed Yarima Albashir for the Nasarawa/Toto Federal Constituency, all under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
However, in a significant political development, Balarabe and his supporters rejected the re-election bid of the incumbent member representing Umaisha/Ugya State Constituency in the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Hon. Ibrahim Abdullahi Sa’ad, who is also of the APC.
Instead, the former Speaker declared his support for Hon. Muhammed Muntaka of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as his preferred candidate for the state constituency in 2027.
Balarabe reportedly spoke extensively on the qualities and capacities of the candidates he endorsed, while also explaining the reasons behind his opposition to the re-election bid of the incumbent lawmaker.
Several speakers at the gathering praised the former Speaker for what they described as his continued commitment to his people despite leaving office. Some members of the community also reportedly expressed regret over past disagreements and thanked him for maintaining his connection with the constituency.
As part of his mobilisation efforts, Balarabe donated more than N4 million to various political and community groups.
The beneficiaries included a women’s group, which received N1 million, youths who received N500,000, and the Good Friday Association, which also received N500,000. The Balarabe Media group received N300,000, while other groups, including the So Uku Balaifi Group and Elders Forum, also received various amounts of N300,000 and above.
The former Speaker also unveiled a campaign billboard featuring the candidates he endorsed as part of the political mobilisation ahead of the 2027 elections.
The event is expected to further shape the emerging political alignments in the Umaisha/Ugya constituency as political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections.