2027: Who is Plotting to Counter Ombugadu – Eggon Forum

By David Odama

As purported parallel endorsement looms, history of Eggon Political Forum, Maku’s role comes under scrutiny

Questions are being raised over an alleged attempt to create a parallel political position within the Eggon community of Nasarawa State ahead of the 2027 governorship election, following reports that a group of individuals is planning a meeting on Saturday, October 3, to counter the recent adoption of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Rt. Hon. Dr. David Emmanuel Ombugadu, by the Eggon Political Forum (EPF).

The development has prompted the leadership of the EPF to ask a fundamental question: Who is behind the proposed counter-endorsement and whose political interest does it serve?

The forum, through a statement signed by its Chairman, Alhaji Umaru Gwamna, and Secretary, Hon. Chief Abaku Istifanus Dennis, said it remained firmly behind the communiqué issued after its September 24 meeting at Albert Event Hall, Nasarawa Eggon, where Ombugadu was adopted as its preferred candidate for the 2027 governorship election.

According to the forum, any attempt to organise a parallel endorsement after its decision should not be interpreted as a reversal of the position already taken by the EPF, which it described as a longstanding political platform with membership and stakeholders across the three senatorial zones and in the diaspora.

The emerging controversy is particularly significant because the EPF has a history that predates the current political realignment in Nasarawa State. Its leadership says the forum was established by a group of Eggon political actors and that its pioneer patron was former governor and former Deputy Governor, Labaran Maku.

The forum further stated that Maku had previously been supported by the organisation during the 2007 and 2015 PDP governorship contests, making the current controversy particularly relevant to the question of whether the organisation’s political legitimacy is being questioned because of its present position.

The EPF leadership also recalled that when Maku served as Director-General of Ombugadu’s 2023 governorship campaign, the forum, under the leadership of Clement Andowa, was used to mobilise support for Ombugadu among Eggon people and beyond.

That history raises a question now confronting the stakeholders: what has changed between 2023, when the forum mobilised for Ombugadu, and 2026, when its adoption of the same candidate is being challenged?

The forum’s leadership said the answer cannot simply be found in the different political parties now occupied by the various actors, arguing that the EPF has historically accommodated members from different political backgrounds.

The latest statement from the forum specifically named Hon. Ali Akpandom in connection with the proposed October 3 exercise, alleging that he was among individuals championing the move.

The forum further alleged that Akpandom was among personalities who recently appealed to APC stakeholders to consider Chief Emmanuel Michael Umbugadu as running mate to the APC governorship candidate, Senator Ahmed Aliyu Wadada.

The EPF consequently questioned why a separate group should seek to counter its September decision when, according to its account, the forum had already considered six Eggon governorship aspirants before settling on Ombugadu.

The September adoption itself has generated wider political interest because Ombugadu has subsequently received support from groups and communities outside the Eggon constituency, including reported endorsements in parts of the state.

The EPF said its decision was not based simply on ethnic sentiment but on its assessment of the six Eggon aspirants and what it described as the acceptability and political reach of the former Nasarawa State governorship candidate.

However, an important qualification remains. Friday Haruna, President of Eggon Youth Nationwide and the Eggon Cultural Development Association, who witnessed the September meeting, reportedly maintained that the broader Eggon stakeholder consultation had not been concluded. That position provides one basis upon which critics of the EPF decision could demand a wider consultation.

The issue, therefore, is not whether individual Eggon sons and daughters are free to support different candidates. They are. The more immediate question is whether another group can legitimately present a different political position as the collective position of the Eggon people after the EPF has already taken its decision.

That is why Saturday’s proposed meeting has attracted attention. If the organisers proceed, several questions will require clear answers: Who constituted the group describing itself as Eggon critical stakeholders? What is its mandate? When was it constituted? Who authorised it to speak for the Eggon community? Is it challenging the EPF’s procedure, its membership, its September communiqué or simply its choice of candidate?

And perhaps the most politically significant question is whether the proposed exercise is intended to offer Eggon people another political option or to counter an already established endorsement.

For the EPF leadership, the latter could create unnecessary confusion at a time when, according to the forum, Eggon political stakeholders are seeking a common direction towards producing the next governor of Nasarawa State.

The forum has therefore called on Eggon people at home and in the diaspora, as well as other residents of the state, not to interpret any purported parallel endorsement as evidence that the EPF has reversed its position on Ombugadu.

As the 2027 contest gathers momentum, the developing episode is increasingly becoming a test not only of individual political ambitions but also of the influence of traditional political structures, emerging interest groups and competing claims to represent the collective aspirations of the Eggon people.

The question now is straightforward: Who is behind the proposed counter-endorsement of October 3, and what exactly does the group hope to achieve?
The answer may reveal whether Saturday’s exercise is simply another expression of individual political choice, or an organised attempt to counter the political position already taken by the Eggon Political Forum.