Ex-Governor Abubakar wins Bauchi APC ticket, eyes 2027 comeback

In a significant political maneuver, former Governor Mohammed Abubakar has clinched the governorship ticket for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bauchi State, Nigeria. This comeback reshapes the contest for the state government house in the 2027 elections, positioning Abubakar against other formidable political figures.

Abubakar, who previously served as governor from 2015 to 2019, achieved a landslide victory in the primaries. He garnered 57,517 votes, significantly outpacing his closest rivals. Among the defeated contenders were Yusuf Tuggar, the immediate-past Minister of Foreign Affairs, who secured 26,001 votes, and Bala Wunti, a former executive at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, who received 13,648 votes. The results were announced by John Abang, Chairman of the APC Governorship and House of Assembly Primaries Committee for Bauchi State.

Political analysts are describing Abubakar's win as a bid for redemption. In 2019, he lost his bid for a second term to Bala Mohammed of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), marking the first time an incumbent governor in Bauchi State failed to be re-elected. With Governor Mohammed nearing the end of his final term, the APC aims to regain control of the state by leveraging Abubakar's established statewide network and name recognition.

The primary also saw intense focus on Yusuf Tuggar, who resigned from President Bola Tinubu’s federal cabinet to pursue his long-held governorship ambition. Despite relinquishing his high-profile position, Tuggar struggled to mobilize the grassroots support needed to overcome Abubakar's entrenched political machinery. Similarly, Bala Wunti, known for his extensive connections, could not secure enough votes to challenge the former governor's commanding lead.

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Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar, having secured the highest number of votes cast with a total of 57,517, is hereby returned as the winner of the APC governorship primary election in Bauchi State.