Governor Abdullahi Sule says his administration will not take anything for granted ahead of the November 2 local government elections, seeking a sweep of all 13 local government areas in Nasarawa State for the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates.
Governor Sule made this known while presenting nomination forms to the chairmanship candidates of the party at the Government House on Monday.
According to the Governor, the APC will work hard to win the coming elections, not minding the fact that it is the APC that is in power.
“I don’t take things lightly, I don’t take anything for granted. We are going to work hard to win this election. So that we don’t say that because we have the government in office, it is going to be similar to other places and we are just going to declare winners. No. We are going to work hard. We are going to campaign. We are going to go places and ensure that people show us love,” he said.
He said the focus of his administration now is to win the November 2 elections.
“We are happy that today we have handed over your forms to go and fill. By the grace of God, that is the same way NASIEC will hand over your certificates to you,” he added.
Governor Sule explained that the APC is determined to win by fielding the best candidates in the election, stressing that the party is going into the election with the same spirit it undertook the nomination of candidates through the consensus arrangement.
“We are not approaching the election with over confidence that we have won, we are approaching the election that we are going to do our best and win the election. I want you to look at it that way and to work hard,” he stated.
While calling on the candidates to continue with their vigorous campaigns across units and wards of their local government areas, he disclosed that he will personally attend the three zonal rallies in Keffi, Akwanga and Lafia.
“The Chairman has just announced that because of the limited period, we expect you to carry on with your unit to unit, ward to ward campaigns. It is not going to be possible for all of us to follow you to some of those campaigns but we intend and I plan to be at all the three zonal rallies that we are going to have.
“We are doing this in order to show the world that our elections are not going to be just sitting down in the office and just writing down results. We are going to put all seriousness into it and we are going to work hard and ensure that we carry out elections,” he said.
The Governor expressed confidence that with the calibre of persons that emerged as candidates of the party, the local government system will witness tremendous improvement in terms of efficient management of resources.
He pointed out that unlike what obtains elsewhere, his administration decided to allow the candidates of the APC to emerge through a process initiated by the party towards making sure that elected chairmen on the platform of the party remain completely loyal to the APC.
“I have always mentioned loyalty to the party to be very, very key to what is happening. This time around, we have refused for stakeholders to sponsor anybody. We wanted you to come through the process of the party. That way your absolute loyalty is to the party. Disloyalty will not be tolerated,” he said.
He expressed satisfaction with the smooth outcome of the party primaries, noting however that it is always expected that in a keenly contested election like that of the local government there is bound to be grudges.
“I congratulate you the party because you have been so busy the last few days and it has been a herculean task. I have never known that local government elections are more difficult than other elections until now. I am happy that we have had smooth primaries. The matter of grudges are normal. Because in an election such as this, if it was direct or indirect, it would have been worst than what you are getting. I’m happy that we selected the idea of consensus,” he added.
He assured the candidates of unfettered control of their local government finances once they are elected into office.
“For us in Nasarawa State, we have never interfered with your resources. We had been augmenting some of the resources of the local government. We never even for once, say that the local government has enough resources we want to use it to do other things.
“Instead, we are the ones thinking that you don’t have enough money to pay your pensioners, and we will pay local government gratuity on behalf of the councils. You will say you don’t have money to pay salaries and we will pay salaries on your behalf,” the Governor recounted.
Governor Sule used the opportunity to appreciate all the party’s stakeholders, particularly the first executive governor of the state, Senator Abdullahi Adamu and his immediate predecessor, Senator Umaru Tanko Al-makura for their roles leading to the smooth conduct of the party primaries.
Earlier, in his opening remarks, Nasarawa State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Aliyu Bello, said they were at the Government House to present the chairmanship candidates of the party before the Governor.
Dr. Bello said they were at the Government House to also appreciate Governor Sule for his efficient handling of the primaries.
“I have been in this party as a leader, as a party manager for the past ten years. This is the best, the fairest and the fiercest selection of party candidates of APC in Nasarawa State.
“Because as a leader, you can decide to sit in the comfort of your office and call only few of us to write the names of candidates that would fly our own flags. We will call meeting for stakeholders to endorse it. That is what others have been doing in other states. But in your own wisdom you allowed the stakeholders to go and chose the leaders,” he stated.
The APC chairman agreed that the exercise was not devoid of rancor but that it was efficiently managed leading to the emergence of the candidates being presented before the Governor.
“We called on the nominated chairmen for you to present to them the form as a symbol of loyalty. Whoever that influenced your coming here, the final bus stop is Governor Sule. Your unalloyed loyalty should be first to Governor Sule and his administration and the party. Don’t attribute your success at the primaries to any individual. The party will not tolerate any act of disloyalty,” he warned.
