Stop name-dropping Tinubu, intimidating rivals — APC Forum warns Wadada

A pressure group within the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Nasarawa State has criticised a governorship aspirant, Sen. Ahmed Wadada, over alleged attempts to gain undue advantage by invoking the name of President Bola Tinubu.

The group, Nasarawa APC Integrity Forum, accused Mr Wadada—who represents Nasarawa West in the Senate—of leveraging claims of closeness to the president and businessman Gilbert Chagoury instead of canvassing support from party members and the electorate.

In a statement issued on Wednesday in Lafia by Zamani Daniel and Ibrahim Tukur, the forum alleged that Mr Wadada frequently boasts about his relationship with the president and Chagoury while using such claims to intimidate fellow aspirants and their supporters.

“We know the president to be a committed democrat who respects the will of the majority. It is therefore troubling that Wadada is allegedly claiming he will be hand-picked ahead of other aspirants with wider grassroots support,” the statement read.

The group stressed that democracy thrives on popular participation, urging all aspirants to engage party members and voters rather than rely on perceived political connections.

“With direct primaries now adopted, aspirants should sell their programmes to the people instead of seeking endorsements through questionable means,” it added.

The forum further alleged that Mr Wadada was using influence to involve security and anti-corruption agencies in ways aimed at pressuring other contenders in the race for the party’s ticket.

It warned that such actions, if true, undermine democratic principles and could create a climate of fear within the party.

“Political ambition is a constitutionally guaranteed right. Every aspirant should be free to pursue it without intimidation. Resorting to undemocratic tactics to edge out opponents is not only unacceptable but dangerous to our democracy,” the group said.