APC Picks Ombugadu as Wadada’s Deputy for 2027 Elections

Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has named Emmanuel Ombugadu as the running mate for All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Senator Ahmed Wadada, for the 2027 elections.

Mr Sule made the announcement after an APC stakeholders' meeting at the Governor’s Lodge in Abuja on Monday.

This announcement came after discussions among party members and those interested in the deputy governorship role.

According to Daily Trust, which reported the news first, Mr Sule said the aspirants agreed to support whoever was chosen in the selection process.

“We had a couple of people eminently qualified, and every one of them made a decision similar to what we did with the gubernatorial election, that whoever is selected among them, they would all rally and support that person,” the governor stated.

“So at the end of the decision, it was agreed that Honourable Emmanuel Ombugadu will be our deputy gubernatorial candidate,” he added.

Mr Sule urged APC members to stay united ahead of the 2027 elections. He stressed that the party needed to avoid division.

“We cannot go into these elections divided. That is the reason we invited this meeting, so that we can keep together, make a decision together, and go together,” he explained.

Mr Ombugadu’s selection follows Mr Wadada’s emergence as the APC governorship candidate after the party held direct primaries across Nasarawa State on May 22.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mr Wadada defeated six other aspirants to win the party’s ticket, securing 195,285 votes across the state’s 147 electoral wards.

Former Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Adamu came second with 39,675 votes, while Professor Mohamed Sani-Haruna got 5,844 votes.

Mr Wadada's emergence came after Governor Sule publicly endorsed him as his preferred successor.

On April 16, PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mr Sule announced his backing for Mr Wadada during a meeting with political appointees at the Nasarawa State Government House.

Mr Wadada later described the endorsement as a “call to higher service” and urged his supporters to refrain from attacking other aspirants.

The governorship primary had its own issues, especially over how to choose the APC candidate. While some party members wanted consensus, the party eventually went with direct primaries after several aspirants bought nomination forms.

One of the aspirants, Hassan Liman, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, insisted before the primary that he would not step down for Mr Wadada, even after the governor’s endorsement.

Mr Wadada expressed his happiness with the choice of Mr Ombugadu, saying it represents the party leadership’s decision and its zoning considerations.

“I feel happy, I feel committed, and of course fulfilled to have him as my deputy gubernatorial candidate, because it is the decision of the party and the leadership,” he said.

He called on other aspirants to accept the outcome and support the party as they move toward the election.

“I call on all others too, particularly my brother Dr Kigbu, who everybody thought would get it, to accept this as the will of God. Together we shall weather the storm,” Mr Wadada said.

Mr Ombugadu thanked Mr Sule and other party members for trusting him with this role.

“I feel highly elated, and I take it as the will of God for me to be in this capacity. I thank the Governor and all the stakeholders of the state for this very critical decision,” he said.

He recognized that other aspirants might be upset but noted they had pledged to stay loyal to the party.

“Thank God they have pledged their loyalty to the party and agreed to work for the progress of the party come 2027,” he shared.

The APC will now move forward with Mr Wadada and Mr Ombugadu as their governorship and deputy governorship candidates, aiming to keep control of Nasarawa State in the 2027 elections.