Former governors of Nasarawa State, Senator Abdullahi Adamu and Senator Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, have finally settled their alleged rift with the incumbent governor of the state, Abdullahi Sule.
Adamu, the immediate past national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Al-Makura announced yesterday that they would support Sule to win the case at the Court of Appeal.
The election petition tribunal sitting in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, had nullified the election of Governor Sule and declared candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the March 18 election, David Ombugadu, as the winner.
But Sule had filed an appeal seeking the court to set aside the judgement of the tribunal all and declare him as the authentic winner of the election.
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The developments unfolded amid alleged rifts among the three top politicians in the state.
But briefing newsmen at the end of their meeting held in Lafia, yesterday, Adamu dispelled claims of rift among them, saying it was in their collective interest to remain united in order to restore hope in the state and country at large.
He said, “The moment a society doesn’t have this kind of air, then it’s not a society. The people who don’t mean well for the state are the ones peddling the kind of rumour you are talking about. I don’t know anybody who will come tomorrow but for those of us who have been and are being, we love this state.
“It’s people who don’t mean well, people who believe there must be crises, there has to be misunderstanding between the leaders for them to benefit. They are the ones promoting this. We have no reason; we have nothing to benefit from the disunity of this state. I repeat nothing whatsoever.
“We are at the moment in a state of flux because of the outcome of the last election. And it’s in our interest more than anybody’s interest to be united, to be able to restore hope in the state and the country. That is the reason we are here and we will continue to do so for as long as we breathe.”
Similarly, Al-Makura said, “As former governors, we have a duty to support the administration of a colleague and at any point in time, for whatever reason, if there are crises or worries, we may not need to be invited because we are critical stakeholders and statesmen.”
He equally dismissed claims of misunderstanding between them, stressing that given the affinity and relationship existing between them, all insinuations of rift were mere speculations.
“Our meeting with His Excellency is very important, especially at this point in time when we are being challenged by certain situations that we need to get our heads together to forge ahead. I can assure you; we are working together and we are focused. We are urging all our supporters and stakeholders to emulate our good relationships and also support this administration in whatever way that they can.”