Three governorship aspirants in Yobe State have rejected the emergence of Baba Malam Wali as the All Progressives Congress (APC) consensus candidate, insisting on primary elections.
The aspirants — former Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mustapha Maihaja; former lawmaker Bashir Machina; and Kashim Tumsah — said any attempt to impose a candidate would violate the APC constitution and provisions of the Electoral Act.
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Speaking to journalists in Damaturu on Monday on behalf of the group, known as G-3, Mr Tumsah said the consensus arrangement had failed because due process was not followed.
“The three of us are here to ensure that the right thing is done, especially now that the issue of consensus has not been properly resolved,” he said.
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“The process for consensus was not properly followed. That is why we are insisting that the process has failed, and we have the right to ask for direct primaries in line with the Electoral Act and the party guidelines.”
Mr Tumsah alleged that the move to adopt a consensus candidate amounted to imposition rather than broad consultation among party stakeholders.
“We want a process that allows party members to freely vote and choose the person they want to represent them as the APC candidate,” he said.
“We don’t want any process where results will simply be written without elections being conducted. The law guiding direct primaries should be strictly adhered to.”
He warned that the group could challenge the outcome of the process if party leaders failed to comply with legal and constitutional provisions guiding candidate selection.
According to him, transparent primaries are essential to preserving the APC’s credibility and avoiding internal disputes that could weaken its chances in the general election.
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“We are pledging that whoever emerges through a transparent, free and fair primary election, we will support and work with him to win the general election. Anything short of that will not be accepted,” he said.
Also speaking, Mr Machina urged party supporters to resist what he described as attempts by a few individuals to impose candidates on the party.
He said candidates produced through elite endorsements rather than democratic participation may not represent the broader interests of Yobe residents.
The development signals growing internal tensions within the Yobe APC ahead of the governorship primaries, with the dispute likely to test the party’s commitment to internal democracy.
