From Idris Khalid, Bauchi
Fresh crisis has erupted within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bauchi State following allegations by some State House of Assembly candidates that their names were substituted after they emerged victorious in the party’s primary elections.
The development has further widened the cracks within the party, coming amid the resignation of prominent chieftains and aspirants and growing complaints over alleged imposition of candidates and lack of internal democracy ahead of the 2027 general elections.
One of the affected candidates, Hon. Abdulhamid Rufai, who is seeking to return to the Bauchi State House of Assembly to represent Zungur/Galambi/Miri constituency, alleged that his name was replaced despite being declared winner of the party’s primary.
Rufai, a former member of the state legislature, said the primary election was conducted on May 21, 2026, while the result was announced on May 23 by the chairman of the APC Governorship and House of Assembly Primaries Committee, retired Assistant Inspector-General of Police, John Bassey Abang.
According to him, he was formally declared the winner of the Zungur/Galambi/Miri constituency and subsequently proceeded with other candidates to complete the necessary documentation for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He said all the 31 State House of Assembly candidates were issued forms by INEC, which they completed and submitted, adding that the forms were subsequently taken to the APC National Secretariat.
Rufai Iroha said he was therefore surprised when the list of candidates released by INEC did not contain his name.
“After the list was released, my name was changed, it had been replaced by another person’s name,” he alleged.
He said he remained a member of the APC despite losing his re-election bid in 2019 and could not understand why his name was removed after winning the latest primary.
Rufai alleged that the substitution might have been connected to attempts by some influential party figures to accommodate their loyalists.
“I do not know the reason for the removal of my name, though I heard rumours that it was done to allow an aspirant who lost the gubernatorial race to bring in his own loyalists,” he said.
He vowed to pursue what he described as all legitimate avenues to reclaim his mandate, saying his lawyers and civil society organisations had already indicated their readiness to challenge the matter in order to ensure that justice is served and defend his victory.
“It is unjust for our seats to be snatched away and given to others who had contested for different positions entirely. We have never witnessed such damage being done to democracy,” he said.
Rufai also alleged that two other candidates from Ganjuwa Local Government Area suffered similar treatment.
They are Zulkifilu Dahiru Kafi, who was declared winner of the Ganjuwa West constituency, and Ibrahim A. Adamu, who emerged victorious in Ganjuwa East.
According to Rufai, the three candidates had completed their INEC documentation before their names were allegedly replaced.
A visit by our correspondent to the INEC office in Bauchi local government also showed the name of Rufai was replaced with another person Musa Muhammed Jibrin.
Similarly, Ibrahim A. Adamu alleged that his victory in the Ganjuwa East State Assembly constituency was overturned through the substitution of his name.
“We woke up to find that our names had been replaced, even though we had won the primary election. We had also been given the INEC form to fill out and had submitted everything, yet ultimately, after INEC released the list, we saw that our names were missing,” he said.
Adamu said he had yet to receive an explanation from the party and was seeking to meet with one of the party’s senior leaders before determining his next line of action.
“I want to speak with him first, he has been away since the incident occurred and has only just returned,” he said on Monday while at the office of the minister Prof Muhammad Ali Pate, who is a party leader in Bauchi.
The allegations are coming barely months after the APC appointed former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, to head a reconciliation committee charged with resolving grievances among party members in the state.
In a letter dated July 13, 2026, the APC State Chairman, Alhaji Muhammad A. Hassan, conveyed Dogara’s appointment, describing him as a person with the experience and integrity required to reconcile aggrieved stakeholders.
The committee was mandated to identify grievances and reconcile stakeholders, aspirants and members in order to promote unity and cohesion ahead of the 2027 elections.
However, despite this development, the party appears to still be grappling with internal challenges.
Prominent figures who sought the APC governorship ticket in Bauchi State included former Governor M.A. Abubakar, Senator Shehu Buba, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, former chief upstream investment officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), Dr. Bala Maijama’a Wunti, and Nura Manu Soro, among others.
Two of the prominent aspirants publicly expressed grievances over the process. Senator Shehu Buba withdrew from the race before the primary election, alleging that there were plans to manipulate the process and impose a preferred candidate.
The crisis has also extended to the party’s governorship ticket, with supporters of former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, calling on the APC national leadership to review the emergence of former governor Muhammad Abdullahi Abubakar as the party’s 2027 governorship candidate.
The Executive Committee of the Tuggar Campaign Organisation urged APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, to replace Abubakar with Tuggar, alleging irregularities in the process that produced the former governor.
Speaking in Bauchi in a recent press conference, former Bauchi State chairman of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Shehu Barau Ningi, said the group had submitted a formal appeal to the APC national leadership.
Ningi argued that the party should consider the popularity and acceptability of its candidate if it hoped to defeat the ruling party in Bauchi State and improve President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s electoral prospects in 2027.
He questioned Abubakar’s political strength, citing his defeat in the 2019 governorship election while serving as governor.
Ningi also called for an independent opinion poll across Bauchi State to determine the popularity of the leading aspirants.
The group further argued that the governorship should rotate to the Katagum axis, noting that the zone had not produced a governor since the Second Republic.
The campaign organisation also questioned the conduct of the governorship primary itself, alleging that no primary election was held across the state despite the subsequent announcement of results.
The allegations have intensified disagreements within the party, particularly among supporters of the various governorship aspirants.
While the party battles the fresh complaints over candidate substitution, several prominent members and former aspirants have resigned from the APC.
Among those who have recently left the party are former Bauchi State deputy governor, Alhaji Sagir Aminu Saleh; former two-time APC governorship aspirant, Captain Muhammad Bala Jibrin; and Hon. Sunusi Aliyu Kunde, a close associate of Ambassador Tuggar.
Saleh, who served as deputy governor during the administration of former Governor Isa Yuguda and holds the traditional title of Majidadin Katagum, resigned his APC membership in a letter dated August 19, 2026.
He cited personal reasons for his decision and thanked party members for their support during his time in the APC.
Jibrin, however, directly linked his resignation to the internal crisis within the party.
In a letter dated August 31, 2026, addressed to the APC chairman of Nasarawa/Bakin Kasuwa Ward in Azare, Katagum Local Government Area, he said his resignation and withdrawal of support for the party took immediate effect.
He cited what he described as “brazen injustice” and alleged imposition of candidates without regard for party members and constituents.
Jibrin said he reached the decision after consultations with his supporters, friends and associates, who endorsed his departure from the party.
He had previously opposed the emergence of former Governor Muhammad Abdullahi Abubakar as the APC governorship candidate, alleging that the primary process was being manipulated in favour of a particular aspirant.
Another party chieftain, Kunde, also resigned in a letter dated August 10, 2026, addressed to the APC chairman of Beti Ward in Misau Local Government Area.
He described his departure as a difficult decision and thanked party officials for their support dating back to the CPC and APC struggles.
The latest resignations followed earlier departures by other APC stakeholders after the party’s primary elections.
They include Hon. Rabilu Bala Kashuri, member representing Jama’are/Itas-Gadau Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, who resigned on May 21, 2026.
Similarly, Hon. Tijjani Mohammed Aliyu, an aspirant for Katagum Federal Constituency, left the party after alleging that the primaries were characterised by predetermined results, vote allocation and violations of party guidelines.
Another chieftain, Hon. Abubakar Dahuwa Abdulkadir, the Sarkin Yamman Katagum, also withdrew his membership, alleging that the party failed to conduct the planned direct primary for the Azare/Madangala State Assembly constituency.
Other members reported to have left the party include Hon. Sulaiman Sunusi Lalaye, Sani Muhammad Night, Hon. Rabi’u Abubakar Bishi and Mohammed Bakoji Maiwada.
The Bauchi Progressives Forum has also rejected the APC governorship primary results, alleging that no election took place across the state.
In a statement signed by its chairman, Mallam Ibrahim Abdullahi, the forum described the announced results as “fictitious” and alleged that some governorship aspirants were pressured to step down in favour of former governor Muhammad Abdullahi Abubakar.
The allegations have, however, been rejected or disputed by party supporters who insist that the APC remains strong in Bauchi State.
Political observers say while the reported influx of new members could strengthen the party’s grassroots structure, the continued departure of influential politicians and their supporters could pose a challenge if the grievances are not addressed.
They noted that the ability of the party leadership to reconcile aggrieved members and unite its major stakeholders could be crucial to the APC’s electoral fortunes in Bauchi State.
APC Response
When contacted by our correspondent, the Bauchi State APC Chairman, Muhammad Hassan Tilde, said the party would investigate the allegation of candidate substitution.
However, while responding to the recent resignations, the party’s State Publicity Secretary, Shehu Dauda Mohammed said disagreements were normal in political parties and that no member would be forced to remain in the APC.
He also maintained that the party was capable of managing its internal challenges.
The latest crisis has now placed renewed pressure on the APC leadership, particularly the reconciliation committee led by Dogara, to address the grievances of candidates and stakeholders before the 2027 elections.
With the elections approaching, the ability of the party to resolve the disputes over candidate selection, rebuild trust among aggrieved members and retain its influential stakeholders may prove decisive in determining whether its reported membership gains can translate into electoral success in Bauchi State.
