2027: APC Faces Challenges as Members Leave in Bauchi

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bauchi State is in trouble. Former candidates for governor and legislative positions are leaving the party ahead of the 2027 elections.

These resignations have raised worries among party members and supporters. They expected to come together to challenge the ruling Allied Peoples Movement (APM).

Yakubu Dogara, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, leads the APC reconciliation committee in Bauchi. This committee was set up after a controversial primary that selected former governor Muhammed Abubakar as the party's governorship candidate.

Mr Abubakar, who was governor from 2015 to 2019, won the nomination against former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, and Bala Wunti, a former executive at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited.

However, Mr Tuggar rejected the results, claiming the APC did not run a fair primary in the state. To heal the divisions after the primary, Mr Dogara’s committee met with unhappy candidates and urged them to support the party's candidate.

Mr Dogara warned that the APC's chances in Bauchi depend on unity within the party. Later, the committee expressed hope that the meetings would lead to better organization and ultimately win elections for the party.

But it seems the meetings at the APC State Secretariat in Bauchi have not calmed the anger. Many key members are still leaving, which threatens the party's future in the northeast.

Some of the notable resignations include former Deputy Governor Sagir Saleh, two-time governorship aspirant Muhammad Jibrin, and Sunusi Kunde, a close ally of Mr Tuggar. Mr Saleh, who served under Governor Isa Yuguda and is the Majidadin Katagum, resigned in a letter dated 19 August.

In the letter, sent to the APC chairman of Katagum Local Government Area, through the party chairman of Matsango Ward in Azare, Mr Saleh gave personal reasons for his exit. His departure is seen as a significant loss due to his influence in Katagum politics.

Also, Muhammad Jibrin, a former national auditor of the now-defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and a two-time governorship candidate, announced his resignation in a letter dated 31 August.

He sent the letter to the party's chairman of Nasarawa/Bakin Kasuwa Ward in Azare, Katagum LGA. He cited “brazen injustice” and the imposition of candidates as reasons for his departure. "I came to this conclusion due mainly to the brazen injustice and imposition of candidates for elective offices with no regard to party members in Bauchi State. The views of our supporters and constituents are apparently of no consequence,” he stated.

Mr Jibrin added that he made the decision after talking with his associates. He has been critical of Mr Abubakar’s nomination as the APC candidate for 2027. Before the primary, he warned stakeholders, including former Governor Yuguda, not to “short-change” the voters by picking Mr Abubakar, who had already been “tried, tested, and rejected” in 2019.

Mr Kunde also stated in a letter dated 10 August that he was leaving the party “with a heavy heart.” These high-profile resignations follow earlier exits after the party primaries.

Rabilu Kashuri, who represents Jama’are/Itas-Gadau in the House of Representatives, resigned on 21 May. Tijjani Aliyu, a Katagum Federal Constituency aspirant, left, claiming the primaries were rigged.

Abubakar Abdulkadir (Sarkin Yamman Katagum) withdrew after saying the party did not hold direct primaries for the Azare/Madangala State Assembly seat. Other notable defectors include Sulaiman Lalaye, Sani Muhammad (aka “Night”), Rabi’u Bishi, and Mohammed Maiwada.

A group called the Bauchi Progressives Forum also rejected the primary results. Its chairman, Ibrahim Abdullahi, called the results “fictitious” and said candidates were pressured to step down for former Governor Abubakar.

Even before the primaries, some important figures, including former Chief of Air Staff and 2023 governorship candidate Sadique Abubakar and Senator Shehu Buba from Bauchi South, had left the party. Mr Buba resigned on 20 May, joined the People’s Redemption Party (PRP), and became its governorship candidate.

Meanwhile, the former air force chief, Mr Abubakar, announced he would step away from politics. Sources suggest he realized the party would not give him the governorship ticket again.

Despite these defections, some party loyalists believe the APC is still strong in the state. They point to an event at the Azare Township Stadium, where thousands of new members joined under Faruk Mustapha.

But the event raised questions because many key figures, including Mr Tuggar and other governorship aspirants like Nura Manu-Soro and Bala Wunti, former Governor Yuguda, and Mr Dogara, were absent. Insiders say their absence is due to anger over the primaries.

Some members are now urging President Bola Tinubu and APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda to step in before the crisis damages the party’s chances for 2027.

The APC State Publicity Secretary, Shehu Mohammed, said political disagreements are common. "If someone is dissatisfied with the proceedings in any political party, they are free to leave and pursue their ambitions elsewhere as they deem fit,” he stated.

He added that the party’s reconciliation committee is still reaching out to those who are upset. "Whenever someone pursues an objective, the outcome is either success or failure. In the APC, we had about nine people seeking the governorship ticket… As I speak to you now, with the campaign season about to begin, the only aspirant who has left is Senator Shehu Buba Umar."

"Among those who left the APC was someone who played a key role in the struggle to establish the party itself. It is hardly wise to abandon a house you helped build with your own hands, leaving it for others, simply because a personal ambition was not realized,” he added.

Analysts see the situation in Bauchi as a mixed bag. While some new members joining the APC could help it grow, losing influential figures could hurt.

The party's ability to bring key members back together will likely affect its chances in Bauchi State in 2027. The APC lost the governorship elections in 2019 and 2023 due to internal issues and unresolved problems among party leaders.

Observers say that to effectively challenge the ruling party’s candidate, Mr Abubakar needs to make peace with Mr Tuggar, Mr Wunti, and other candidates who lost to him. This is to avoid a repeat of the anti-party actions that harmed the opposition before.