Six governorship aspirants on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Yobe State have rejected the adoption of former Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Baba Mallam Wali, as the party’s consensus candidate for the 2027 governorship election.
The aspirants insisted that only a free, fair and transparent primary election would be acceptable for the emergence of the party’s flag bearer.
The aggrieved aspirants are Sen. Ibrahim Mohammed Bomai, Bashir Sheriff Machina, Kashim Musa Tumsah, Engr. Mustapha Yunusa Maihaja, Lawan Kolo Geidam and former Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Alkali Baba.
In a communiqué issued after a joint meeting in Abuja, the aspirants described the endorsement of Wali as a violation of the Electoral Act and the constitution of the APC.
They maintained that the process leading to the adoption of a consensus candidate did not comply with the provisions of the law governing consensus arrangements.
According to the communiqué, due process must be strictly followed if the party intends to adopt consensus in selecting its governorship candidate.
The aspirants also passed a vote of no confidence on the Yobe APC Chairman, Alhaji Mohammed Gadaka, accusing him of bias and compromise in the ongoing political process.
They consequently demanded his withdrawal from all matters relating to the conduct and supervision of the party’s governorship primary election in the state.
The group, however, reaffirmed confidence in the national leadership of the APC and pledged support for the re-election bid of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Efforts to obtain reaction from Gadaka were unsuccessful as he neither answered telephone calls nor responded to text messages sent to his known lines.
Wali was recently endorsed by some political stakeholders in Yobe as the preferred successor to Gov. Mai Mala Buni, whose second term will expire in 2027.
