The All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate of Nasarawa State, Ahmed Wadada has defended President Bola Tinubu’s economic programmes, calling detractors “enemies” of Nigeria.
Wadada who spoke to State House Correspondents after meeting with Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja said and the administration’s policy shifts are already producing tangible gains and impacting millions of lives.
Wadada described his visit as a bid to align his campaign with the President’s economic vision and to explore ways to contribute to national development.
“My mission to the Villa, as always, is to see how best we will all contribute our quota to the growth and development of Nigeria,” he said.
Wadada, a former lawmaker who has positioned himself as a grass-roots politician, said the administration’s reforms had strengthened several macroeconomic indicators.
He cited an almost doubling of foreign-exchange reserves—from roughly $28–$29 billion when Mr. Tinubu took office to about $56–$57 billion now—as well as improvements in the balance of payments, exchange-rate stability and a healthier capital market.
“All the windows have been closed, they have been unified, which has greatly informed today the stability of the naira against the dollar,” he said, referring to recent foreign-exchange unification policies.
He acknowledged lingering challenges but said the broad direction was positive.
“There are glaring improvements, development and growth in every sector, but that is not to say all is well.”
Wadada also criticized opponents who, he said, hoped the administration would fail.
“For anybody to sit down and wish away this administration, then that person is either ignorant, not realistic, or an open enemy,” he said, drawing a line between political opposition and what he called outright hostility to the state.
Turning to State politics, Wadada unveiled a campaign platform he called the HEARTS Agenda, a five-pillared blueprint he described as building on the achievements of outgoing Governor Abdullahi Sule.
The plan highlights Human Capital Development—education and healthcare—as priorities, and proposes Energy and Mineral Resources initiatives to exploit Nasarawa’s deposits and new state-level opportunities created by the Electricity Act.
“If you talk of mineral resources, you are talking Nasarawa State,” Mr. Wadada said, noting that the state is home to the country’s first two lithium-processing plants.
He said his administration would pursue agriculture and a green economy through three regionally focused agricultural hubs, as well as programs for rural and urban development, trade and investment, and security.
Wadada emphasized Nasarawa’s proximity to the Federal Capital Territory as a strategic asset and praised Mr. Sule’s administration for raising expectations.
“There cannot be any mediocrity after A.A. Sule,” he said, adding that he intends to “continue from where Engineer Abdullahi Sule’s administration stopped.”
