“You will be defeated again – Tuggar’s Foundation tells Bauchi APC Guber Candidate 

By: Ajiya Ayuba, Bauchi 

The former minister of foreign affairs, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar Foundation has said that the one term governor of Bauchi State and the All Progressive Congress (APC) gubernatorial candidate, Muhammad Abdullahi Abubakar will be defeated in the next year general election to come.

They said this during a press briefing which held at the Foundation’s office in Bauchi, rejected his emergence as the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate for the 2027 elections, calling the declaration “unconstitutional and lacking legitimate basis.”

The foundation noted that Abubakar lost his re-election bid in 2019 and failed to rebuild grassroots structures afterward.

Leading the group, Shehu Barau Ningi, said the announcement was made by Abubakar himself, not by the appropriate organs of the APC. 

Ningi was flanked by Sule Wada, Alhaji Sani Shehu, also known as Sanin Malam and former Bauchi State Chairman of the All Nigeria Peoples Party, and other stakeholders of the foundation.

“We describe the declaration as purported because it was made by Mr. M.A. Abubakar himself, rather than through an official announcement by the appropriate organs of the All Progressives Congress,” Ningi said. 

“To date, the party has not publicly and officially confirmed the declaration.” He stated.

The foundation’s objection is contained in a June 2, 2026 appeal letter to APC National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda. Its central claim is that no governorship primary was held in Bauchi State.

“No governorship primary election was conducted anywhere in Bauchi State,” the letter stated. “Consequently, the declaration of any aspirant as the winner of a primary election that never took place is unfounded, unjustifiable and devoid of any legitimate basis.”

The group also faulted what it described as conflicting accounts from Abubakar. It said he first claimed all aspirants endorsed him by consensus, and later alleged that a second meeting was held and a primary conducted in which he won with specific scores.

The foundation warned that imposing Abubakar as candidate could damage the APC’s prospects in 2027, citing “widespread negative reactions” and defections.

A key point of the appeal centered on power rotation, in which the foundation argued that Katagum Senatorial District has not produced a governor since the late Alhaji Abubakar Tatari Ali in 1983, creating “a strong feeling of political marginalization.”

“In the interest of justice, equity and balanced political representation, we believe that the time has come to give the Division a fair opportunity to produce the next Governor of Bauchi State,” the letter read.

The group presented Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, who hails from Katagum, as its preferred candidate, citing his “unwavering commitment” to the progressive movement from the APP and ANPP through the CPC to the APC. 

It said Abubakar joined the APC 52 days before the 2014 primaries and “virtually abandoned the party” after the 2019 defeat, sitting out the 2023 primaries.

The committee urged the national leadership to conduct an independent opinion poll and revisit the decision “in the spirit of justice, fairness, internal democracy and the collective interest of the party, which is electoral victory.”

It argued that fielding Tuggar would “stem the wave of mass defections” and improve the APC’s chances of reclaiming Bauchi in 2027.

The appeal letter was signed by Sule Wada, Sani Shehu, Shehu Barau Ningi and Aliyu Kafin Sule.