Abdullahi Sule is the Governor of Nasarawa State, now in his second and final term. An engineer trained in the United States, he ran oil companies and Dangote Sugar Refinery before succeeding Umaru Tanko Al-Makura in 2019.1
Early life and career
Sule was born in Akwanga on 26 December 1959. After technical college and polytechnic in Plateau State, he studied mechanical and industrial technology at Indiana State University. He worked as an engineer in Nigeria and the United States, co-founded Sadiq Petroleum in 2000, became chief executive of African Petroleum Plc and, in 2018, Group Managing Director of Dangote Sugar Refinery.1
Elections
Sule won the APC primary in October 2018 and the governorship in March 2019.1 In March 2023 INEC declared him re-elected with 347,209 votes to 283,016 for the PDP’s David Ombugadu. In October 2023 the election tribunal, by a split decision, removed him and declared Ombugadu the winner, prompting protests. The Court of Appeal reversed that ruling in November 2023, and on 19 January 2024 the Supreme Court unanimously affirmed Sule’s election.2
Governor (2019–present)
Sule has tried to build an industrial economy on Nasarawa’s mineral resources, especially lithium. In 2024 he commissioned a Chinese-owned lithium processing plant in the state, and his government has courted further mining and manufacturing investment. Critics and federal officials have urged that mining communities benefit and are not left damaged.34 He cannot run for governor again in 2027.
Personal life
Sule has two wives, Silifa and Farida.1
