The senator representing Nasarawa West Senatorial District, Senator Ahmed Aliyu-Wadada has pushed back against claims that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is neglecting Northern Nigeria, insisting that the administration has made meaningful contributions to the region despite ongoing concerns about poverty levels.
Speaking in an interview with ARISE NEWS on Wednesday, Sensor Aliyu-Wadada also pledged his loyalty to his people, noting that no relationship would make him compromise his people.
“What is it that the North wants, or needs, or requires to a very reasonable extent, within the confines of limitations of humans, that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has not done?”, he quizzed.
“I’m a proud Northerner that has been able to contribute at my own level to the socio-economic and political growth of Northern Nigeria, and there is no relationship on the surface of the earth that will make me compromise my people,” he pledged.
Continuing his defence, Sen. Aliyu-Wadada argued that beyond federal interventions, Northern leaders and stakeholders must also take responsibility for the region’s development.
“Security threat is everywhere, and we know that he met security threat. He met all aspects of insecurity in Nigeria. That’s not to say he should not do something about it. He is doing something about it. And as a leader, what makes you a leader? First and foremost, during the campaigns, what were the requirements, or the request, or the needs of the North that were put before Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu? Education: Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration has done what no government had done in the past to create a coffer that will provide for the children of the less privileged to be able to access education. If you look at the health sector, which is also a veritable instrument or ingredient, so to say, of human capital development, the statistics are there.
“First and foremost, the North needs to put itself in order. With due respect, I’m not trying to join issues with anybody, but I want us to be realistic. Today, as a result of the Renewed Hope Agenda of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the sub-nationals are doing much more than ever before. Under no administration before now the sub-nationals had access to flow of funds,” he said.
Addressing concerns over exchange rate volatility, Sen. Aliyu-Wadada maintained that the gap between the official and parallel markets has significantly narrowed under the administration of President Tinubu.
“What is the volatility in the exchange rate? Let’s look at it. Before his coming into office, between official rate and parallel rate was 70% difference. Today, it is 2% in between,” he stated.
On fuel prices and the rising cost of living, Wadada described the situation as part of a broader global challenge, while also linking recent developments to domestic reforms.
“That is a global problem, and you should even give it to this administration because of the functionality today, presence and functionality of the Dangote Refinery. We are today exporting petroleum products out of Nigeria to other countries,” he noted.
Turning to the issue of political defections, Sen. Aliyu-Wadada dismissed concerns about constitutional implications, clarifying that his political journey has been shaped by circumstance rather than opportunism.
“Dynamism of life makes it imperative for everything in life to be dynamic. At the time that I left APC to SDP, it was dynamism. And leaving SDP again back to APC, dynamism. At every given time, every action must be guided or informed or influenced by one interest or the other. It is natural for me to be interested in myself first. And APC being the party… and if I had, the situation had permitted for me to remain in SDP, I would remain in SDP. No political party makes a politician, it is the politician or politicians that make political party. And I can say with humility and respect, this is Wadada talking.”
He reiterated his track record of electoral success, noting that his consistent victories at the polls demonstrate public trust. For him, that record, rather than mere promises, is what sets him apart from other aspirants and justifies continued support from his constituents.
“I have paid my dues, my record speaks for me. They have always voted for me. And they have voted, that’s why I’m sitting here with you as a sitting Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he said.
Aliyu-Wadada, who is also the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts and representative for the Nasarawa West Senatorial District in the Nigerian Senate downplayed the influence of high-profile endorsements, including that of former governor Tanko Al-Makura, insisting that his longstanding connection with grassroots voters in Nasarawa State remains his greatest strength.
“One, it is God that decides who leads at a given time. And humanly, my records are there. I’m not here to join issues. There is nobody in Nasarawa State that I would be scared of. In fact, let me say, His Excellency Governor Tanko Al-Makura, my leader, my elder, my big brother whom I enjoy a robust relationship, mutual and cordial with, when he was governor and anointed engineer A.A. Sule in 2019. I aspired to be; we went into the primaries. The government did what it did, yet I came second. And because of my relationship with the people at the grassroots, I had to be asked—I don’t want to use the word “begged”—I was requested to chair the campaign council. I chaired the campaign council that delivered Engineer A.A. Sule in 2019,” he explained.
Reflecting on the possibility of an electoral loss, Senator Aliyu-Wadada emphasised resilience and faith as guiding principles in his political journey.
“What God decides for me. I lost before. In 2011, I lost elections to bow to the House of Representatives, and from 2011—between the period I lost election to 2023—I was only engaged by the then Minister of FCT, Bala Mohammed, as Senior Special Advisor, Project Monitoring and Evaluation for only five, four-five months. And in the course of it, I resigned and I remained a Nigerian. I faced my businesses and kept in touch with my people. 2011 to 2023, I came back and won election against a ruling party, APC, and at the end of the day, with due humility—to God be the glory—because of my influence, APC at that time did not have a Senator in the Senate. We had two, SDP won two seats to the Senate, while Governor Makinde was defeated by PDP,” Sen. Aliyu-Wadada concluded.
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