Nasarawa 2027: NDC Picks Musa Shugaba-Abdullahi as Governorship Candidate

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has chosen Musa Shugaba-Abdullahi as its candidate for the 2027 Nasarawa State governorship election.

Shugaba-Abdullahi emerged during the party’s substitution primary held on Tuesday night in Lafia, the state capital. The exercise was conducted as an affirmation rather than a contested primary.

The electoral committee was headed by NDC National Treasurer, Dr Peter Onigah, who said the process complied with the Electoral Act and was supervised by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

After his emergence, Shugaba-Abdullahi outlined a five-point agenda centred on education, healthcare, infrastructure, empowerment and security. He promised free and compulsory education for children and young people between the ages of three and 19 if elected.

He said the proposed education policy was aimed at reducing illiteracy and addressing some of the social challenges facing young people. For those aged 19 to 25, he proposed government subsidies for NCE, OND, vocational and selected medical courses, while parents would remain responsible for feeding.

The NDC candidate also promised to overhaul healthcare delivery and position Nasarawa as a medical hub, saying his administration would seek to reduce the need for residents to travel abroad for medical treatment. On infrastructure, he said projects would be guided by community needs assessments rather than the pursuit of large-scale projects without clear demand.

Shugaba-Abdullahi also pledged to work with the Federal Government to tackle insecurity and criminality, acknowledging the constitutional limits of state governments in security matters.

NDC State Chairman, Dogo Shammah, explained that the substitution primary became necessary because some constituencies had no aspirants during the party’s May 2026 primaries, resulting in the use of placeholder candidates. He said the party intends to contest and seek victory across the 2027 elections, while urging its executives and grassroots leaders to begin mobilisation.

The exercise also produced five NDC candidates for Nasarawa State House of Assembly seats: Iliya Emmanuel Ayas for Kokona West, Lucy Kigbu-Anzaku for Keffi East, Mohammed Ramalan for Keffi West, Micha Mamman for Obi 1 and Hussaini Mustapha-Ganuwa for Toto/Gadabuke.