“In times of storm, the nation doesn’t need noise—it needs a voice of reason, a steady hand, a quiet strength.”
In the corridors of Nigerian politics, where storms rage and tempers flare, silence is rare. But sometimes, within that silence lies strength—measured, calm, resolute. It is the strength not of ambition, but of duty. And today, as the All-Progressives Congress (APC) wrestles with internal fractures, ideological drift, and leadership fatigue, the man rising through the haze is not shouting to be seen. He is standing to serve.
That man is Senator Umaru Tanko Al‑Makura.
The APC was born of merger and vision—a convergence of ideologies, regions, and personalities. But more than a decade since its founding, the party now stands at a critical juncture.
Divided internally, distracted externally, and deeply in need of a unifying compass, the APC faces a reckoning. The old political model—of dominance through division—no longer holds. Today, the call is for renewal through reconciliation.
This moment demands a different kind of leader: a bridge between blocs, a healer of rifts, a steward of stability.
Tanko Al‑Makura is all of those—and more.
To understand why he matters now, one must revisit the quiet arc of his service. As governor of Nasarawa State for two terms (2011–2019), Al‑Makura was no stranger to adversity. He inherited a volatile political environment and left behind a record of stability, growth, and institutional reform. His tenure saw expanded access to healthcare, rural infrastructure development, urban renewal projects, and a sustained investment in education.
But what defined his time as governor wasn’t just what he built—it was how he built it. Deliberate. Consultative. Without fanfare.
Both sitting and former governors see him as one of their own. He understands the demands of power and the necessity of restraint. In Al-Makura, governors across Nigeria recognise a man who has worn the weight of responsibility without using it to crush opposition or inflate ego.
From the executive to the legislative, Al‑Makura’s trajectory deepened with his election as Senator for Nasarawa South in 2019. There, he brought his executive insights to the Red Chamber, advocating not for headlines but for harmony. He was seen not just as a representative, but as a wise elder—able to bridge inter-party tensions and regional rivalries.
His reputation in the Senate has remained one of quiet influence—a quality rare in a space often dominated by performative populism.
Crucially, Al‑Makura represents one of the three founding pillars of the APC: the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC). In 2011, he was the only CPC governor elected in Nigeria, effectively serving as the lone executive foothold of the party founded by Muhammadu Buhari.
Yet, despite its foundational role, the CPC bloc has never held the APC national chairmanship. As internal zoning logic and party equity demand a rebalancing, Al‑Makura emerges not just as a candidate, but as a moral correction—an emblem of unity long deferred.
Even more telling is how he has conducted himself amid this neglect. When the party opted for consensus in 2022 and picked Abdullahi Adamu over him, Al‑Makura accepted without rancour. No protests. No defections. No drama. Only loyalty.
In a Nigeria defined by regional balancing, Al‑Makura hails from a zone uniquely poised to lead. The North Central—often called the “Middle Belt”—is the nation’s crossroads, culturally, politically, and geographically. As the APC zones the national chairmanship to this region following Ganduje’s exit, Nasarawa becomes a strategic pick.
And Al‑Makura, with his deep regional roots and national outlook, becomes not just a local figure, but a national bridge—linking the North and South, legacy blocs and new power centres.
Across party circles, endorsements of Al-Makura’s leadership are emerging. Nasarawa’s current Governor Abdullahi Sule has publicly stated that if the APC wants the most reliable, experienced, and prepared candidate for chairman, “there is no better person than Al-Makura.”
But his greatest endorsement remains his record—not in what he said, but what he did: Throughout his political journey, Al-Makura has consistently embodied principle over personal gain.
He was the steady hand that kept the CPC united during its most turbulent chapters, governed Nasarawa State with integrity untouched by scandal—a rare feat in Nigerian public life—and brought quiet efficiency to the Senate, favouring dialogue over division. Even when personal ambition was at stake, he deferred to party consensus without protest. And in moments when loyalty wavered among others, he stood unwaveringly by the APC and President Tinubu.
As the APC drifts toward another election cycle, the need for a moral reset becomes undeniable. The chairmanship cannot be a reward for aggression or noise. It must be a call to national service. A seat for someone who understands history, values discipline, and sees power not as conquest, but as covenant.
Tanko Al-Makura is not a rabble-rouser. He is not the factional warlord. He does not carry the baggage of ambition. What he carries is weightier: credibility, clarity, and calm.
“In times of storm, the nation doesn’t need noise—it needs a voice of reason, a steady hand, a quiet strength.”
In Al-Makura, the APC does not just have a chairman-in-waiting—it has a healer-in-the-wings. A man who has built quietly, served deeply, and loved his party loyally.
In the theatre of Nigerian politics, where thunder often overshadows thought, it is the soft voice of calm that endures.
The APC must now listen—not for the loudest call, but for the truest one.
And that call comes from Lafia. From the CPC’s last flag-bearer. From the North-Central’s quiet strength.
That call is Tanko Al-Makura’s.
And it is not just time to answer it.
It is time to trust it.
Adedayo Adejobi is an analyst, who writes from Abuja. ... [email protected]
