The Nasarsawa state governor, Abdullahi Sule has cautioned the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state to jettison the desperation to take over the affairs of the state at all costs.
This is just as the governor reminded PDP leaders that they need a state first, to be governor, as such the desperation should be put aside.
The governor disclosed this in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs, Peter Ahemba and made available to Tribune Online Friday in Lafia while reacting to media reports on a petition by the Civil Liberties Organization (CLO), urging the international community to impose a visa ban on him over his comment on the recent split judgement of the governorship election petition tribunal in the state.
The governor said he was not surprised by the apparent misrepresentation of his position, he urged the general public to disregard the mischievous video being circulated on the matter to cause confusion.
The governor said CLO were acting the script of the PDP which has over the years shown desperation to rule Nasarsawa at all cost without a clear vision.
“It has become a matter of serious concern, the promotion of religious politics by leaders and agents of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party in Nasarawa State. The opposition party now strives solely on falsehood and religion with the intent to elicit sympathy from unsuspecting members of the public and authorities.
“Early this week, (Tuesday, 10th October, 2023), His Excellency, Engr. Abdullahi A. Sule, Executive Governor of Nasarawa State participated in a Peace and Development Summit organized by the Sultan Maccido Institute for Peace, Leadership and Development Studies, University of Abuja, where he served as Special Guest of Honour and was inducted into the Institute’s Fellowship of Peace.
“At this occasion, the Governor, in a thought-provoking message revealed how his administration had been able to deal with security challenges in the State through engagements, education and empowerment, and cautioned politicians against the promotion of religious politics in the interest of peace and unity of the nation.
“He further revealed how he averted what could have triggered needless controversy prior to the concluded 2023 general elections by declining the suggestion to him by some individuals to join issues with a respected Christian cleric, who openly told members of his congregation to vote for only a Christian candidate to emerge as Governor of Nasarawa State.
“He informed the institute that Nasarawa state elections were conducted in most places along religious divide because of such calls by the cleric and others, who joined issues with him. He further explained that against the backdrop of the coronation being given the recent split judgement of the Governorship Elections Petitions Tribunal in the state which seemed to have gone along the same religious divide.
“The Governor brought up the matter in the cause of his speech at the occasion with the intent to disabuse the minds of those insinuating religious bias in the tribunal judgement. It is the same governor that has continued to call on all political appointees and the good people of the state to avoid making statements that are capable of creating tension.”
The statement further “condemn in the most strongest terms, the deliberate and mischievous twisting of the context and intent of the Governor’s comment on this sensitive matter in an edited video circulating on the social media by leaders and paid agents of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, who have been promoting religious politics in the desperation to return to power.”
The statement added that “the call for visa ban against His Excellency is laughable because the governor has not applied for any visa and has no plan to do so. The governor studied and worked for several years in the Western world before he willingly returned home on his own. We advise the PDP to be responsible and avoid dragging the United Kingdom and other nations of the World into its dirty politics.”
The statement called on the general public to disregard the mischievous video being circulated to cause confusion. Adding, the opposition elements have deliberately misinterpreted the Governor’s recent comment on the split judgment of the Governorship Tribunal to achieve selfish religious sympathy.
It concluded that the government was fully aware of the distractive strategies being adopted by the opposition party to use the outcome of the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal to further distract the Governor and slow down the pace of ongoing implementation of policies and programmes of the administration, even as such antics have continued to fail woefully.
. TheWitness
