A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alwan Hassan, has declared that former Bauchi State Governor Muhammad Abdullahi Abubakar lacks the electoral strength to win the state for the party, while calling on the APC leadership to conduct transparent and credible governorship primaries.
Hassan made the remarks during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he challenged the process that led to Abubakar’s emergence and warned that the APC risks losing Bauchi State if the former governor becomes the party’s flag bearer.
According to him, the governorship primary process in the state did not reflect the wishes of party members and was marred by attempts to impose what he described as an “anointed candidate.”
He argued that unlike the APC presidential primaries, which he said were largely conducted successfully across the country, the process in Bauchi generated controversy because of efforts to push a consensus arrangement that lacked the backing of other aspirants.
Hassan alleged that individuals claiming to be members of the Bauchi State Governorship Committee announced the outcome 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 legitimate election took place before the declaration of results.
The APC stalwart also accused the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, of influencing political developments within the party in Bauchi State, alleging that he played a role in shaping the outcome of the process.
He further dismissed claims that former President Muhammadu Buhari had endorsed Abubakar, maintaining that no public endorsement was ever made.
Questioning Abubakar’s political appeal, Hassan argued that the former governor would struggle to secure victory for the APC if eventually nominated as the party’s governorship candidate.
“Muhammad Abubakar cannot win elections in Bauchi State,” he said. “If he is on the ticket, we will lose the election.”
Hassan also pointed to what he described as growing dissatisfaction within the party, claiming that internal divisions were already affecting the APC’s cohesion in the state.
Reaffirming his support for direct primaries, he noted that none of the governorship aspirants had agreed to step down for Abubakar, making any consensus arrangement inappropriate.
He urged President Bola Tinubu and the APC national leadership to consult widely with stakeholders in Bauchi and ensure that a free and fair primary election is conducted to produce a candidate with broad support.
“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 unite the party and improve its chances of reclaiming power in Bauchi State.
