From Esther Akaa, Lafia
Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, has said his recent visit to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Barr. Nyesom Wike, was not to influence the ongoing Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal in the state, but to seek collaboration between Nasarawa and the FCT, Abuja.
He explained that the purpose for the meeting was for the construction of a metro line from Apo in the FCT to Keffi in Nasarawa State, and the development of the 13,000 hectare Gurku/Kabusu Mega City, which is about 5 kilometers from Maitama II in Abuja.
There had been media publications wherein the State Chairman of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party in the state, (PDP) Hon. Francis Orogu was quoted to have called on Governor Sule not to drag President Bola Tinubu and the Minister of FCT, Barr. Wike into the political matters of the state.
Governor Sule who spoke through his Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Public Affairs, Comrade Peter Ahemba at a Press conference held in Lafia on Sunday, said the clarification became necessary following allegations by the Chairman of the PDP in the state, who said the governor was in the FCT to seek for a favourable judgement at the ongoing Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Lafia, the state capital.
According to Ahemba, before the governor’s visit to the FCT Minister, he was visited by the Honourable Ministers of Police Affairs, as well as Health and Social Welfare in company of Global Alliance Vaccine Initiative (GAVI) at the Nasarawa Governor’s lodge in Abuja.
He said that the Governor also visited the Hon. Minister of Minerals Resources the same day, with the sole aim of attracting development to the state.
Ahemba noted that about 40 per cent of those working in the FCT, were resident in Nasarawa State, and any right-thinking opposition political party leader, who mean well for the State would admit to the fact that there was need to collaborate with relevant individuals and organisations in the area.
He said: “Nasarawa State has witnessed and still recording tremendous progress under Engr. Abdullahi A. Sule led Government as a result of such collaborations with relevant individuals and organisations. An opposition party that has the interest of the people at heart and is interested in propelling good governance through constructive criticisms will applaud the governor’s initiative to timely seek partnership with the new FCT Minister because it is a right step in the right direction.
“His Excellency, Governor Abdullahi A. Sule is not in any way surprised at this deliberate falsehood by the opposition party, as such has been the antics of the opposition party in the State and its style of politics, which the Governor views as a normal behaviour of any opposition political party, especially one that has suffered defeat at Governorship elections for four (4) consecutive times and at the verge of suffering another defeat at the Tribunal.
“We find this show of desperation by the PDP laughable because, while the good people of the State are praising Governor Sule for the recent visit to the FCT Minister and that of Solid Minerals Development due to its potential to impact positively on the State, the PDP leader, who has become a false alarmist is alleging the visit was designed to influence the pending judgement of the Governorship Tribunal. For the opposition party, any visit to Abuja by the Governor or any other stakeholder that is not a member of the PDP is working to influence the outcome of the tribunal.
“Mr. Francis Orogu should rather tell the people of Nasarawa State why himself and other PDP leaders in the State suddenly relocated temporarily to Abuja since commencement of proceedings at the Tribunal and have been moving from one retired Military General to another with the evil intention to get the mandate freely given to Governor Sule by the electorates upturned. The PDP Chairman should be reminded that political power under a democratic setting cannot be acquired through the backdoor.
“Again, let it be known to the PDP that, His Excellency, Governor Sule and his party, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have zero worries about what might be the outcome of the tribunal. The Governor has tremendous respect for the judiciary and believes in it’s ability to dispense justice fairly.
“With the rejection and humiliating defeat of the PDP Governorship candidate in the March 18th Governorship election by the electorates and sound legal defence mounted at the Tribunal by Governor Sule’s legal team throughout the proceedings, couple with the disgraceful outing of PDP witnesses at the Tribunal, who admitted that their party rigged the election in several Polling Units and shortchanged the ruling APC of hundreds of votes during the election, Governor Sule absolutely no reason to contemplate going to anyone to help influence the outcome of the Tribunal as alleged by the PDP. It is glaring that the PDP may have no case after all.”
On the issue of kidnapping and other forms of insecurity in the State that were also raised by the PDP Chairman, the SSA to Governor Sule said the issue of insecurity was not peculiar to Nasarawa State as Hon. Orugu wanted the public to believe, stating that his principal had continued to deal decisively with security threats in all parts of the state.
Ahemba stared further that since assumption of office as the fourth democratically elected governor of the state on May 29th 2019, Governor Sule had continued to drive the state on the path of progress and development in all spheres, specifically in the areas of security, infrastructure, industrialisation, investment, human capital development, agriculture, health, education, among other sectors of the economy.
The SSA urged the PDP in the state to commend Governor Sule for restoring peace in all parts of the state through effective synergy with the Federal Government and security agencies
despite not having control over the security agencies.
He, therefore, said his principal was focused and committed to the task of governance for the overall benefit of the state and will never allow his government to be distracted by the antics of the opposition, adding that no amount of false alarms and media propaganda will save the PDP from the eminent defeat at the tribunal.
