Sule Audu Alhaji

Sule Audu Alhaji is a Nigerian politician who contested the 2023 Gubernatorial Elections as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in Nasarawa. They won with 347K votes (53.1%).

Biography

Audu Sule Katagum is a Nigerian politician, architect, and the current Wazirin Katagum of Katagum. He served as the deputy governor of Bauchi state from 2018 to 2019 under Governor Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar.

Before his elevation to deputy governor, he was the Chief of Staff at the Bauchi State Government House. He was born in Bauchi State, Nigeria, and trained as an architect, a profession he practiced before entering government service.

He is a son of Alhaji Sule Katagum (1927–2017), the first chairman of Nigeria’s Federal Public Service Commission, and himself holds the title of Wazirin Katagum.

Katagum served as Chief of Staff at the Bauchi State Government House during the first administration of Governor Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar of the All Progressives Congress (APC). He remained in that role until June 2018, when the governor nominated him to fill a vacancy in the office of deputy governor.

Katagum’s path to the deputy governorship opened on 24 May 2018, following Nuhu Gidado’s resignation, citing a 'dampened spirit' for the job. After wide consultation with APC stakeholders, Governor Abubakar nominated him in early June. The Bauchi State House of Assembly confirmed the nomination on 29 June 2018 in a brief plenary session.

Katagum took the oaths of office and allegiance on 2 July 2018 at the multi-purpose indoor sports hall in Bauchi. With the state’s chief judge absent in Abuja, the oaths were administered by the Grand Khadi of Bauchi State, Dahiru Abubakar Ningi. In his acceptance speech, he pledged to work for the people of Bauchi for the remainder of the administration’s term.

He served until the end of the Abubakar administration on 29 May 2019, succeeding Baba Tela under the incoming PDP governor, Bala Mohammed.

In 2023, ahead of Governor Mohammed’s swearing-in for a second term, Katagum chaired a state government transition committee that reviewed the performance of Bauchi’s ministries, departments, and agencies.

Speaking at the first Sustainable Development Goals Youth Summit held in Bauchi in October 2024, he warned that economic hardship and perceived neglect of young Nigerians could push the country toward a youth-led revolt, blaming a missing national philosophy and lack of accountability among leaders.

In February 2024, the Emir of Katagum, Umar Farooq II, turbaned Katagum as the new Wazirin Katagum at the emirate palace, conferring on him a title last held by his late father. Governor Bala Mohammed, represented by his deputy Auwal Jatau, attended the ceremony, describing the appointment as well-deserved, citing Katagum’s record as deputy governor.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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).

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Technology & Digital

Supports the development of MSMEs through partnerships with fintech players to expand access to capital and business development services.

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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.

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