BREAKING NEWS: Tuggar’s Camp Challenges Abubakar’s Alleged APC Governorship Ticket, Petitions National Leadership

BREAKING NEWS: Tuggar’s Camp Challenges Abubakar’s Alleged APC Governorship Ticket, Petitions National Leadership

A fresh controversy has emerged within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bauchi State as supporters of former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, have rejected claims that former Governor Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar has emerged as the party’s governorship candidate for the 2027 election.

The group, under the banner of the Tuggar Campaign Organisation, has submitted a petition to the APC National Chairman, insisting that no governorship primary election was conducted in the state and therefore no valid candidate could have emerged.

Addressing a press conference in Bauchi on Tuesday, former Chairman of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in the state, Alhaji Shehu Barau Ningi, described Abubakar’s alleged emergence as unconstitutional and without legal foundation.

According to Ningi, the APC has never officially announced Abubakar as its governorship flag-bearer, making his continued claim to the position misleading and unacceptable to party members.

“The declaration of a winner in an election that never took place is a clear violation of the party’s constitution and democratic principles,” he stated.

Ningi, flanked by several party stakeholders, including Alhaji Sule Wada and former Bauchi State Chairman of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Alhaji Sani Shehu, revealed that the group had written a formal letter dated June 2, 2026, urging the APC leadership to immediately address the matter.

The petitioners warned that the party’s silence could be interpreted as approval of the development, a situation they said has already sparked anger among grassroots supporters and contributed to defections in some areas.

The group also highlighted Ambassador Tuggar’s long-standing commitment to the APC and its predecessor parties. They noted that he was elected to the House of Representatives on the platform of the ANPP in 2007, later contested as the CPC governorship candidate, and played a significant role in the formation of the APC.

They further emphasized that Tuggar has remained loyal to the party and has never defected to any other political platform since the APC was established.

In contrast, the campaign organisation alleged that Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar joined the APC shortly before the party’s 2014 governorship primaries and became less active in party affairs after losing his re-election bid in 2019. They also claimed he did not participate in the APC primaries ahead of the 2023 general elections.

The stakeholders urged the APC leadership to uphold the principles of fairness, loyalty, and internal democracy, stressing that decisions of such importance should reflect the sacrifices and dedication of long-serving party members.

The development is expected to intensify political discussions within the APC as preparations for the 2027 general elections continue.