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Six gubernatorial aspirants of the All Progressives Congress, (APC), in Yobe State have rejected alleged support for a consensus candidate ahead of the 2027 gubernatorial election.
They insisted that the process violated the provisions of the Electoral Act and the party constitution, and passed a motion of no confidence in the state APC Chairman Alh. Mohammed Gadaka, accused him of bias and partiality.
They jointly stated this in a statement issued at the end of their meeting held on Thursday in Abuja.
The group demanded the immediate withdrawal of Gadaka from all matters relating to the conduct and supervision of the Yobe State primary elections.
The aggrieved candidates include former Inspector General of Police Usman Alkali Baba; Senator representing Yobe South, Ibrahim Bomai; Mustapha l Maihaja, former Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency; Lawan Geidam, former Mandate Secretary for Youth and Sports in the FCT; Kashim Tumsah, former board member of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited; and Bashir Machina, former Chairman of the Governing Council of the Nigerian Shippers Council.
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The statement read in part, “Following the persistent partisanship shown by the Yobe State APC Chairman, it is abundantly clear that the APC chairman is very easily compromised and aspirants have no confidence that he is capable of holding or supervising a free, fair, transparent and credible direct primary election.
“In view of the above, the aspirants strongly demand the immediate withdrawal of the Yobe State APC Chairman from all matters relating to the conduct and supervision of the Yobe state primary election.”
While restating their confidence in the national leadership of the APC, the group also reiterated their support for the re-election bid of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The presidential aspirants said attempts to impose candidates on party members without consultation and adherence to democratic procedures would create tension and division within the APC in the state.
The purported endorsement of a particular candidate as the APC consensus gubernatorial candidate is inconsistent with the terms and conditions of the 2026 Elections Act and the APC Constitution. No individual or group has the authority to impose candidates on party members without going through due process.
It would be recalled that Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State, along with other APC stakeholders, allegedly supported Baba Wali, former Secretary to the State Government, as his preferred successor.
