Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
A fresh crisis is convulsing the Bauchi State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) after a former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, openly accused President Bola Tinubu of imposing a preferred governorship candidate on the party, even as he insisted that no credible primary election was ever conducted in the state. Tuggar, who resigned from the federal cabinet to pursue his gubernatorial ambition, made the explosive allegation on Saturday, May 30, 2026, while reacting to the outcome of the party’s selection process. He claimed that instead of a transparent contest, the APC national chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, simply summoned aspirants to announce that former Governor Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar had been chosen as the party’s flag‑bearer for the 2027 election. According to Tuggar, this unilateral declaration effectively nullified any pretense of a democratic primary. “We wanted an election where whoever won would emerge and whoever lost would accept the outcome. But the national chairman of our party called us and announced that M.A. Abubakar had been selected as the governorship candidate,” Tuggar told journalists.
His accusation, which has reverberated through political circles in Bauchi and beyond, was swiftly corroborated by another APC chieftain, Honourable Nuru, who provided an even more direct account of the alleged imposition. Nuru claimed that aspirants were simply summoned and told that the President himself had decided who would fly the party’s flag. “In Bauchi, there was no primary election. We were called and informed that there was a message from the President concerning who would be APC’s governorship candidate,” Nuru alleged, adding that the candidate was presented to them as a fait accompli. “The candidate was imposed on us. The party chairman said so, and the President also said so.” He further accused the Minister of Health, Muhammad Ali Pate, of playing a central role in orchestrating the controversial process.
The allegations stand in stark contrast to the official narrative presented by the party’s primary election committee. On May 23, the committee, chaired by retired Assistant Inspector General of Police John Bassey Abang, declared Abubakar the winner of the governorship primary. According to the announced results, Abubakar polled 57,517 votes, defeating six other aspirants, including Tuggar who came second with 26,001 votes. The committee claimed that the primary was conducted on May 22, 2026, across the state, and that the results were duly collated. However, Tuggar and other aggrieved stakeholders have dismissed these figures, insisting that no meaningful voting took place and that the outcome was predetermined.
The deepening crisis has already triggered defections, with former APC senator Umaru Shehu Buba announcing his departure from the party to the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP). Buba, who was among those who had invested years in building the APC’s structure in Bauchi, accused powerful figures within the government of using their positions to override the will of party members. “We spent three or four years building the APC in Bauchi. But when it was time for the primary election, some people who cannot even win elections in their polling units used their positions in government to do whatever they wanted,” Buba said. He further alleged that no election officials were present on the day the primary was supposed to be held, leaving him to conclude that “this is not democracy.” He asked pointedly: “Should the President be the one choosing who will govern the people of Bauchi?”
As the internal opposition mounts, the APC in Bauchi now faces the dual challenge of reconciling aggrieved members and countering growing public perception that its internal democracy has been hijacked by a top‑down imposition. The controversy is particularly sensitive for President Tinubu, who has often spoken about his commitment to democratic norms and fair play. The Bauchi episode, coming just as the party begins preparations for the 2027 elections, threatens to undermine that narrative and could have ripple effects on the party’s ability to mobilise support in a state that has become a political battleground. While the APC leadership has yet to issue an official response to the allegations, the persistent refusal of prominent stakeholders to accept the outcome of the primary portends a long and messy internal dispute. For Tuggar and his supporters, the fight has only just begun, and they have made it clear that they intend to keep the spotlight on what they describe as the wholesale theft of the party’s democratic process.
📩 Stone Reporters News | 🌍 stonereportersnews.com
✉️ info@stonereportersnews.com
📘 Facebook: Stone Reporters News
🐦 X (Twitter): @StoneReportNew
📸 Instagram: @stonereportersnews
Add comment
Comments