In a fresh escalation of internal discord within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), six governorship aspirants in Yobe State have firmly rejected the alleged endorsement of former Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Baba Malam Wali, as the party’s consensus candidate for the 2027 governorship election.
The aspirants, who include Senator Ibrahim Mohammed Bomai and Kashim Musa Tumsa among others, made their position known through a joint stance captured in viral footage and statements sighted on Leadership Newspapers. They argue that the process bypassed due consultation and amounted to an imposition, highlighting deep-seated grievances over transparency in candidate selection within the ruling party’s Yobe chapter.
The dissenting aspirants insist that the endorsement violates key provisions of the Electoral Act and the APC’s constitution, which emphasize democratic primaries and fair competition rather than unilateral consensus arrangements. In separate remarks, stakeholders such as Ibrahim Ibbiyo and Idi Jugujugu described the move as lacking transparency and fairness, demanding instead that the party conduct direct primaries to allow aspirants to test their popularity among delegates. The group’s unified rejection, documented in a formal statement and group photograph of the six men in traditional attire, underscores growing resistance to top-down decision-making allegedly driven by party leaders and state executives.
This Yobe flashpoint mirrors a broader pattern of turmoil engulfing the APC nationwide as it prepares for the 2027 general elections. Similar rejections of consensus candidates have surfaced in states like Oyo and Cross River, where aspirants and lawmakers accuse governors and national officers of hijacking nomination processes. With unresolved disputes over deputy national positions threatening to sideline entire states from primaries and conventions, the party’s leadership under National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda faces mounting pressure to reconcile factions before the polls.
The crisis could significantly undermine the APC’s performance at the 2027 elections by eroding party unity and voter confidence in Yobe—a traditional APC stronghold. Fractured ranks risk defections to opposition parties, legal challenges that delay primaries, and reduced grassroots mobilization, potentially costing the party the governorship and weakening its Senate and House seats. Analysts warn that repeated imposition scandals could fuel public apathy and portray the APC as undemocratic, handing opposition coalitions ammunition to portray the ruling party as out of touch and paving the way for stronger challenges to President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid.
