Professor Mohammad Sani Haruna entered the 2027 Nasarawa governorship race Wednesday, telling a massive APC rally in Keffi that delegates must put competence above politics.
The former Executive Vice Chairman of NASENI said he will contest the party’s May 21, 2026 primaries and run a government anchored on transparency and industrial growth.
“I’m going ahead to purchase the nomination form and will participate in the Governorship primaries. What I can promise you is transparent administration and judicious utilization of your resources,” Haruna declared to thunderous cheers.
He said his bid follows “extensive consultations across the state” and rests on his record at NASENI, where he emerged EVC on merit. “Out of 67 people that contested, wrote examinations and attended interviews, I was employed on merit. There was no sentiment because merit prevailed,” he said. “As far as the next governor of Nasarawa State is concerned, competence should be the criteria.”
Haruna pledged to expand Governor Abdullahi Sule’s industrialisation drive, infrastructure expansion, and investments in manufacturing and human capital. He praised Sule alongside former Governors Abdullahi Adamu, Aliyu Akwe Doma, and Tanko Al-Makura for laying the state’s foundation.
“We recognise Senator Abdullahi Adamu as the architect of modern Nasarawa State because of the solid foundation he laid for governance, peace and development,” he said. “Every administration had contributed in different ways to the growth and stability of Nasarawa.”
He credited President Bola Ahmed Tinubu with supporting NASENI and resolving issues around the agency’s statutory industrial levy. He asked the crowd to back Tinubu in 2027.
“Will you vote for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the 2027 presidential elections?” Haruna asked. The crowd roared “yes.”
He put the same question about his own ambition: “Will you vote for me during the forthcoming governorship primaries of the APC?” The response was another deafening “yes,” with drumming, dancing and jubilation.
Haruna said traditional rulers and political leaders have kept Nasarawa stable and promised to strengthen that partnership. “It is only in an atmosphere of peace, tranquillity and unity that any society can thrive. We must not allow insecurity or division to set us back,” he said.
He promised prudent management of the state’s natural and human resources, with priority for industrial growth, skills acquisition, and youth empowerment.
Closing his address, Haruna urged calm as 2027 politics heats up: “I urge you to remain peaceful, to be calm, and obey the constituted authority. Learn to be your brothers’ keeper. Fighting, insults, and all kinds of vices that lead to public unrest do not benefit anybody.”
The APC governorship primary in Nasarawa is slated for May 21, 2026.
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