● Ex-Foreign Affairs Minister vows to fight “anti-democratic process” after losing to Abubakar by 31,000 votes
Yusuf Tuggar has blown the lid off Bauchi APC’s governorship primary, accusing Health Minister Ali Pate of “crying before President Tinubu” to block his candidacy and handpick Mohammed Abubakar as the party’s flagbearer.
The former Minister of Foreign Affairs, who resigned his cabinet post to contest, rejected the May 31 primary outcome and described the process as “anti-democratic imposition.”
Speaking to DC Hausa, Tuggar alleged that Pate, who hails from Bauchi, met Tinubu privately to plead that he, Tuggar, should not be allowed to emerge candidate.
“The minister from our state met with Mr. President and cried in front of him, begging him not to let me become the candidate in Bauchi state,” Tuggar said in Hausa.
“There are many processes in politics, but we didn’t know that crying was one of them. Personally, I don’t fake cry; it is not in my nature, and I am not lazy.”
—57,517 vs 26,001 votes—
APC primary committee chairman John Abang had declared ex-Governor Mohammed Abubakar winner with 57,517 votes. Tuggar finished second with 26,001 votes. Nura Manu Soro polled 13,638; Bala Wunti 13,648; Kabir Ma’aji 8,157.
But Tuggar insists the game was fixed before voting began. He claimed APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda told stakeholders beforehand that Abubakar “had been chosen.”
—“Resign and contest, don’t handpick”—
The ex-minister threw down the gauntlet: “No one stopped our minister from resigning and contesting. The President instructed cabinet members wishing to contest to resign before March 31st. He should have resigned and contested instead of handpicking APC candidates.”
Tuggar warned that the imposition is driving “prominent politicians” out of APC in Bauchi. His appeal now goes to Tinubu: “Look into the injustice happening within the APC.”
—What this means for 2027—
Bauchi was already a PDP stronghold under Gov Bala Mohammed. If APC goes into 2027 with a fractured base and accusations of Abuja imposition, Abubakar’s path to Government House gets steeper.
Tuggar’s resignation from Tinubu’s cabinet plus explosive allegations have turned Bauchi APC primary into the first major intra-party battle of the 2027 cycle.
