By Suzan Edeh, Bauchi
Fresh internal crisis has hit the Bauchi State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) following serious allegations of candidate substitution after the party’s primary elections ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Several aggrieved State House of Assembly candidates claim their names were unlawfully replaced after they were declared winners of their respective primaries.
This controversy emerges amid high-profile resignations of prominent party chieftains and mounting complaints over candidate imposition and a lack of internal democracy.
One of the affected aspirants, Abdulhamid Rufai, who won the primary to represent the Zungur/Galambi/Miri constituency, publicly alleged that his name was omitted from the list released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Rufai, a former member of the state legislature, stated that the primary election took place on May 21, 2026, and the official results were announced on May 23 by the chairman of the APC Primaries Committee, retired Assistant Inspector-General of Police John Bassey Abang.
According to Rufai, all 31 successful State House of Assembly candidates completed and submitted their mandatory INEC documentation through the APC National Secretariat.
He expressed shock upon finding that his name had been replaced at the INEC office by another individual.
Rufai suggested the substitution was a maneuver by influential party figures to accommodate loyalists of an aspirant who lost the gubernatorial primary.
He vowed to challenge the decision through legal channels and civil society organizations to reclaim his mandate. The substitution scandal reportedly extends beyond Rufai’s constituency.
According to party sources, Zulkifilu Dahiru Kafi, the declared winner of the Ganjuwa West constituency, and Ibrahim A. Adamu, who won the Ganjuwa East constituency, faced identical treatment after completing their INEC documentations.
Ibrahim A. Adamu confirmed that his name was missing from the final INEC publication despite his primary victory. Adamu stated he is seeking an audience with senior party leadership, including the office of a prominent minister and party leader in Bauchi, before taking further action.
These developments come only months after the APC appointed a reconciliation committee, headed by former Speaker of the House of Representatives Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, to resolve ongoing internal friction.
In a letter dated July 13, 2026, the APC State Chairman, Alhaji Muhammad A. Hassan, mandated the committee to unify stakeholders ahead of the 2027 elections.
However, the committee’s efforts appear to have faltered as divisions deepen across both legislative and gubernatorial structures.
The crisis has also engulfed the party’s gubernatorial ticket. Supporters of a former Minister of Foreign Affairs have formally petitioned the APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, demanding a review of the primary that produced a former governor as the party’s 2027 governorship candidate.
Speaking at a press conference in Bauchi, a former state chairman of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) questioned the validity of the gubernatorial primary, alleging that no actual election took place across the state.
The group further argued that the ticket should rotate to the Katagum axis, which has not produced a governor since the Second Republic, and questioned the electoral viability of the current candidate, citing his previous defeat in the 2019 elections.
Amidst the unresolved primary disputes, the APC in Bauchi has suffered a wave of prominent resignations. Former Bauchi State deputy governor Alhaji Sagir Aminu Saleh officially resigned his membership in a letter dated August 19, 2026, citing personal reasons.
Similarly, a former two-time APC governorship aspirant, Captain Muhammad Bala Jibrin, resigned on August 31, 2026, directly linking his departure to the party’s persistent internal crisis, candidate imposition, and lack of justice. A close associate of the former Foreign Affairs Minister has also left the party.
The APC state and national secretariats have yet to issue an official response to the ongoing legal threats and high-profile defections.
