Lawmakers belonging to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Nasarawa State House of Assembly have called on Nigerians to back President Bola Tinubu beyond the 2027 general elections. The appeal was made by Mr. Suleiman Azara, the Majority Leader of the House, during a press briefing on Wednesday in Lafia. Azara, who represents Awe South constituency, said sustained support for Tinubu would allow citizens to benefit more fully from democratic governance. The statement followed the party's 10th caucus meeting, where members reviewed recent APC congresses in the state and expressed satisfaction with the outcomes.
Azara confirmed that the lawmakers congratulated newly elected party leaders at local and state levels. The meeting also focused on preparations for upcoming primary elections, with the caucus endorsing the party's chosen mode of primaries. "We have confidence in our party leadership at all levels and will continue to support and work in synergy with them," Azara said. He emphasized unity, peace and progress within the APC in Nasarawa, stating that decisions by party leaders and stakeholders were binding. The lawmakers pledged loyalty to the party's positions and reaffirmed their commitment to collaboration with the executive arm for the state's development. Attendees included Speaker Dr Danladi Jatau, Deputy Speaker Mr. Muhammad Oyanki, and other APC legislators.
Suleiman Azara's call for backing President Tinubu beyond 2027 is less about national vision and more a signal of internal party consolidation in Nasarawa. The timing—after APC congresses and ahead of primaries—suggests this endorsement is as much about securing current political alignments as it is about projecting loyalty upward. By publicly aligning with Tinubu, Azara and his colleagues are reinforcing their positions within the party hierarchy, especially as intra-party tensions often flare near election cycles.
This show of unity comes amid a broader pattern where state-level APC actors use presidential loyalty to strengthen local influence. The lawmakers' emphasis on binding decisions and party discipline points to efforts to quell dissent following the congresses, where leadership roles were likely contested. Their focus on synergy with the executive arm also hints at a dependency on federal goodwill for state-level projects, which often shape political survival in Nigeria's patronage-driven system. Unity, in this context, is not just ideological but transactional.
For ordinary Nigerians in Nasarawa, this political choreography offers little immediate relief from economic hardship or governance gaps. The promise of future dividends of democracy rings hollow to constituents grappling with poor infrastructure and limited access to social services. Their interests are often secondary to the political calculations of elected officials focused on continuity in power.
This episode fits a recurring trend: state lawmakers leveraging federal allegiance to shore up relevance, while deferring substantive accountability to the electorate until ballots are cast.
