By Francis Nansak, Lafia
The Nasarawa State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Dr. Aliyu Bello, has ordered ward leaders to arrest anyone found distributing fake membership registration slips or mobilising non-members into their wards ahead of the party’s primary election.
Dr. Bello issued the directive on Wednesday at a town hall meeting with critical stakeholders in Lafia, convened by Senator Ahmed Wadada Aliyu to unveil his governorship blueprint, the”HEARTS Agenda”and to present his scorecard as a serving senator in the 10th National Assembly.
The event was held at the conference hall of the Ministry for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Lafia .
The chairman said the party had uncovered a plot by a governorship aspirant to print thousands of fake membership slips and distribute them to unsuspecting supporters in Lafia and other local government areas in a bid to manipulate the process.
“It has come to our notice that a particular governorship aspirant has devised a rigging method by printing membership registration slips in their thousands for distribution to some unsuspecting supporters of the party.
“As a democrat committed to pragmatism and fair play, I have reported the matter to security agencies to apprehend those luring our electorate with fake registration slips. Let me state without fear or intimidation that on the day of the primary, anyone who is not a registered member of your ward and is found there should be arrested,” Bello directed.
He warned that the party would not allow individuals to disrupt the exercise under its leadership. “Unless they are planning to conduct a separate primary elsewhere, we will not allow anyone to subvert the process. We are law-abiding and loyal party members,” he added.
Dr. Bello further explained that voting would take place at the ward level and urged chairmen to ensure a seamless and peaceful primary.
In his remarks, Senator Ahmed Wadada Aliyu thanked the Lafia stakeholders and expressed gratitude to Governor Abdullahi Sule for nominating him as his preferred successor. He also commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his support to state governments, noting that Nasarawa had witnessed reforms and an infrastructural turnaround under Governor Sule’s administration.
The consultative tour concluded in the Southern Senatorial Zone at Asakio, in the palace of the traditional ruler, where a large crowd reaffirmed support for Governor Sule and pledged to mobilise massively for Senator Wadada’s ambition in both the primary and the 2027 general election.
The Daily Monitor report that during visits to Awe, Obi, Keana, Doma, and Lafia, Senator Wadada met with royal fathers and stakeholders, promising to scale up the achievements of the Sule administration if elected governor.
As part of his engagements, he distributed motorcycles to ward chairmen to ease mobility for party activities and disbursed tens of millions of naira to stakeholders, women, and youth across the five local government areas of the zone.
