Punch Newspapers23 May 2026
Nasarawa APC gov candidate urges unity ahead of electionsElection2027 Governorship Elections →
StateNasarawa →
Born1 January 1966 (age 60)
GenderMale
QualificationFLSC SSCE HND
Summary
Aliyu Wadada Ahmed is a Nigerian politician who is the All Progressives Congress (APC) nominee for the 2027 Governorship Elections in Nasarawa.
Biography
Ahmed Aliyu Wadada is a Nigerian politician representing Nasarawa West district in the 10th National Assembly. He served as a member of the House of Representatives.
He was initially a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) before resigning from the party in 2022 following a disputed primary election.
Prior to the APC primary election for the Nasarawa West Senatorial District, Wadada complained of irregularities in the delegates list from Keffi and Nasarawa Local Government Areas, leading him to withdraw and subsequently resign from APC.
After resigning from APC, he joined the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and won the nomination to contest the 2023 Nigerian Senate Elections.
During his campaign, some activities were restricted in certain areas due to alleged clandestine instructions from the ruling party in Nasarawa State, APC. Despite this, Wadada emphasized his popularity, stating that no intimidation would diminish it.
In the February 25, 2023 Senate election, Wadada polled 96,488 votes, defeating APC’s Shehu Tukur (47,717 votes) and PDP’s Musa Galadima (46,820 votes). His victory is noted as a significant political upset, given that Nasarawa West is the zone of the National Chairman of Nigeria’s ruling party, APC, Abdullahi Adamu.
Party Positions
Policy positions from the All Progressives Congress (APC) party manifesto.
Agriculture
Launches the Irrigate Nigeria Project as a public-private partnership to develop small-scale irrigation and water catchment systems using modern technology to boost agricultural productivity.
Security & Defense
Will deploy modern aerial surveillance and advanced technology to monitor and deter intrusions into oil pipelines, power stations, and other critical national infrastructure in real time.
Environment & Climate
Accelerates the environmental cleanup and re-establishment of fisheries and profitable aquacultural activities in the Niger-Delta region to counter violent extremism and poverty-driven disaffection.
Economy & Trade
Will implement the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) and additional favorable policies to attract investment in deep-water assets within 6 months, including encouraging signature bonus negotiations and royalty reliefs.
Infrastructure
Creates regional industrial hubs in specific zones (North West, North East, South East, South South, South West, North Central) to focus on labor-intensive manufacturing, with tailored investments (e.g., textiles, dry ports, glass, pottery, solid minerals, regulated mining).
Enterprise grant support
Work with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to simplify loan processes for commercial banks, mandate federally owned banks to provide low-cost loans to youth-led enterprises, and expand business incubation centers to support youth innovation.
Energy
Will mandate gas metering equipment on all facilities where gas flaring occurs within 6 months and establish a special enforcement unit to monitor compliance with the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) on gas flaring reduction, with non-compliance leading to financial penalties for affected communities.
Governance & Reform
Reserve at least 3 cabinet positions for individuals under 40 and 6 more positions for members under the age of 40, and mandate that at least 20% of political appointments to Ministries/Dangomas (MDAs) be reserved for individuals under 40.
Education
Raises the priority of addressing out-of-school children, establishes a task force to review and strengthen programs like school feeding, and aims to reduce disaffected youth recruitment by violent groups.
Healthcare
Will establish a network of upgraded, equipped, and staffed general hospitals in every Local Government Area, tertiary facilities in each State, and world-class specialist hospitals in each geo-political zone to improve healthcare accessibility and quality.
Technology & Digital
Supports the development of MSMEs through partnerships with fintech players to expand access to capital and business development services.
Reliefs and scholarships
Commits to a conditional income support program requiring recipients to meet human capital goals (school attendance, healthcare, nutrition) in exchange for payments.
In The News
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