Fresh crisis hit Bauchi APC as candidates allege ‘substitution’ - Punch Newspapers

Fresh crisis is brewing within the Bauchi State All Progressives Congress as some State House of Assembly candidates accuse the party of substituting their names after they emerged victorious in the party’s primary elections. The affected candidates, who spoke with journalists in Bauchi on Sunday, said the APC primary election was conducted on May 21, 2026, while the results were 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. The aggrieved candidates alleged that they were officially declared the party’s flag bearers in their respective constituencies before proceeding with the necessary documentation for the Independent National Electoral Commission. One of the affected candidates, Abdulhamid Rufai, who is seeking to return to the Bauchi State House of Assembly to represent the Zungur/Galambi/Miri Constituency, alleged that his name was replaced despite being declared the winner of the primary. Rufai said he was formally declared the winner of the constituency and subsequently proceeded with other successful candidates to complete the necessary documentation for INEC. He said all 31 State House of Assembly candidates were issued forms by the electoral commission, which they completed and submitted, adding that the documents were subsequently taken to the APC National Secretariat. Rufai said he was however 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 “After the list was released, my name was changed; it had been replaced by another person’s name,” he alleged.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 had 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 governorship race to bring in his own loyalists,” he alleged. The former lawmaker vowed to pursue what he described as all legitimate avenues to reclaim his mandate, saying his lawyers and civil society organisations had indicated their readiness to challenge the matter. APC denies link to violence in Enugu, demands probe 2027: APC govs distance themselves from Wike-led rainbow coalition, deny alliance Arms imports jump 104% to N55bn “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 lamented. Rufai also alleged that two other candidates from Ganjuwa Local Government Area suffered similar treatment. Similarly, Ibrahim 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, adding that he intended to meet a party leader in the state, Prof Ali Pate, before deciding on 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,” Adamu said. The allegations came barely months after the APC appointed the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, 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, Muhammad 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 a bid to promote unity and cohesion ahead of the 2027 elections. Despite the reconciliation initiative, the latest allegations indicate that the party is still grappling with internal disagreements ahead of the elections. When contacted by our correspondent, the Bauchi State APC Chairman, Muhammad Hassan, said the party would investigate the allegations of candidates substitution. Hassan said while disagreements were normal in political parties, he assured that the APC was capable of managing its internal challenges. Umar Sani

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