A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alwan Hassan, has challenged the conduct of the party’s governorship primary process in Bauchi State, alleging irregularities and warning that the emergence of former governor Muhammad Abdullahi Abubakar as the party’s candidate could cost the APC victory in the state.
Hassan made the remarks during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he called on President Bola Tinubu and the APC national leadership to order what he described as a transparent and credible direct primary election in Bauchi.
According to him, while the party’s presidential primaries were largely successful across the country, the situation in Bauchi was different due to attempts to impose a preferred candidate on party members.
He alleged that Abubakar was presented as a consensus candidate without the consent of other aspirants and stakeholders, arguing that the process failed to reflect the wishes of APC members in the state.
Hassan further claimed that individuals who identified themselves as members of the Bauchi State Governorship Committee announced results of a primary election despite the absence of any voting exercise.
“There was no primaries, nobody lined up and nobody was counted,” he said, insisting that no valid election took place before the declaration of results.
The APC stalwart also accused the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, of playing a role in the political developments surrounding the party’s governorship ticket in Bauchi, alleging that he influenced the process behind the scenes.
He equally dismissed claims that former President Muhammadu Buhari had endorsed Abubakar, maintaining that no such public endorsement was ever made.
Questioning the former governor’s electoral strength, Hassan argued that Abubakar lacks the popularity required to secure victory for the APC in Bauchi State.
“Muhammad Abubakar cannot win elections in Bauchi State,” he said, warning that the party risks defeat if it proceeds with his candidacy.
Hassan also pointed to what he described as growing internal discontent within the APC, alleging that the party was already experiencing defections by some key members.
Reiterating his support for direct primaries, he noted that none of the governorship aspirants had agreed to step down for Abubakar, making a consensus arrangement inappropriate.
He urged the APC leadership to engage stakeholders across the state and conduct a fresh primary election capable of producing a candidate with broad support among party members and voters.
“The way forward for Bauchi State is for the President to call all the leaders in the state, speak to them, ask them questions on who the best candidate is and advise the party to conduct a free and fair primaries that will elect a popular candidate,” Hassan said.
He maintained that only a transparent primary process would strengthen the APC’s chances in Bauchi and warned that imposing a candidate could further deepen divisions within the party ahead of the election.
