APC resignations deepen crisis in Nigeria ahead of 2027 elections
In Bauchi State in northeastern Nigeria, several influential members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have left the party amid a dispute over the nomination of a candidate for the 2027 gubernatorial election. As Premium Times Nigeria reports, the internal crisis in the APC deepened after primaries in which former governor Mohammed Abubakar secured the party’s nomination.
Abubakar, who led the state from 2015 to 2019, defeated former Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar, former top executive of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Bala Wunti, and other contenders. Tuggar did not recognize the results, saying that the party had not held proper primaries in the state.
Resignations after the primaries
Those who have recently resigned from the APC include former deputy governor Sagir Saleh, two-time gubernatorial contender Muhammad Jibrin, and Sanusi Kunde, whom the publication describes as a close associate of Tuggar. In a letter dated August 19, Saleh cited personal reasons.
In a statement dated August 31, Jibrin explained his departure from the party by what he described as blatant injustice and the imposition of candidates for elective offices without taking into account the views of APC members in Bauchi. He was among the critics of Abubakar’s nomination and had previously warned party figures against imposing this candidate on voters. In a letter dated August 10, Kunde said he was leaving the party with a heavy heart.
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Earlier, House of Representatives member Rabilu Kashuri, Katagum federal constituency aspirant Tijjani Aliyu, and several other figures also left the APC. Aliyu said that the primaries had been predetermined and that the results were shaped through the allocation of votes and procedural violations. The Bauchi Progressives Forum also rejected the voting results: its chairman, Ibrahim Abdullahi, called the published figures fabricated.
APC leadership response
The APC reconciliation committee in the state was headed by former Speaker of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara. The committee held meetings with dissatisfied aspirants and urged them to support the party’s candidate. At the same time, the APC’s Bauchi public relations secretary, Shehu Mohammed, said that political differences were commonplace and that the party continued to engage with various groups.
APC supporters insist that the party retains strong positions, citing an event in Azare where, they said, thousands of new members joined it. At the same time, several prominent figures were absent from the event, including Tuggar, Wunti, former governor Isa Yuguda, and Dogara. Party sources linked their absence to dissatisfaction with the primary results.
