By our Reporter

Governor Abdullahi Sule has met with aspirants who contested the All Progressives Congress direct primaries in Nasarawa State, pledging to reappoint political office holders who resigned to participate in the exercise.

The meeting, held on Thursday at the Government House in Lafia, was aimed at healing divisions and strengthening the APC ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Governor Sule expressed gratitude to the aspirants for attending despite tensions that followed the primaries. He took full responsibility for the conduct of the exercise and acknowledged that the process had difficulties.

“As the leader of the party, I want to take full responsibility for what happened. I have done everything possible within my reach to ensure that we practised these direct primaries,” Sule said.

He described the direct primary model as one of the most challenging forms of internal democracy, noting that it creates complexities that are difficult to manage even with the best intentions. The Governor added that the challenges in Nasarawa were not unique, as other states face similar post-primary tensions.

Addressing aggrieved aspirants, Sule offered a sincere apology, saying many of the irregularities were beyond his control. “I can only be in one place at a time and had to rely on others, some of whom failed to act as expected,” he said.

On the way forward, the Governor announced that political appointees who stepped down to contest would be returned to their posts. He also directed aspirants who resigned from the civil service to approach the Secretary to the State Government for reabsorption where vacancies exist. He further pledged to review current political appointments and accommodate deserving aspirants.

Sule appealed to members who left the party to reconsider, stressing that the APC remains the best platform. “We are not chasing them away. Most likely, when they go to other places and things don’t work out, they will want to come back, and we will welcome them. Because outside of here, there is no other place,” he said.

Earlier, Nasarawa APC Chairman Dr. Aliyu Bello thanked the aspirants for honouring the Governor’s invitation and urged reconciliation. “Destiny is greater than ambition. If you did not get this, it is not the end of your life,” Bello said.

The meeting marks the first in a series of reconciliation engagements Sule said he will hold as the party consolidates ahead of 2027.