The senator representing Bauchi South Senatorial District, Shehu Buba, has reportedly defected from the All Progressives Congress to the Peoples Redemption Party following his withdrawal from the APC governorship race in Bauchi State.

The development comes days after the senator announced his withdrawal from the APC governorship contest, citing alleged irregularities and constitutional breaches in the conduct of the party’s primaries in the state.

In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Sabo Muhammad, the senator accused some party officials of manipulating the primaries process by allegedly announcing predetermined results without conducting actual voting exercises.

“The party officials have practically been hijacked by persons who do not mean well for the party, having allowed themselves to be caged at undisclosed hotels in Bauchi State without appearing at the elections’ venues but releasing predetermined results,” the statement read.

Following his withdrawal, photographs emerged on Sunday from Mujaddadi TV (Buba’s Social Media Team) showing the senator holding a registration certification of the PRP, fuelling reports of his defection from the ruling party.

Meanwhile, supporters of the lawmaker on Saturday reaffirmed their loyalty to him, declaring their readiness to follow him to any political platform ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The supporters said they had resolved to urge Buba to leave the APC and join the PRP to actualise his governorship ambition in Bauchi State.

Speaking during a solidarity rally organised in support of the senator at Pali Suite in Bauchi on Saturday, Chairman of the Mujaddadi Kafar Kafarmu Group, Haruna Modibbo, described Buba as the most competent aspirant among those seeking the governorship seat in the state.

Modibbo recalled that the senator withdrew from the APC governorship race over alleged plans to impose a candidate instead of conducting what he described as a free, fair and transparent primaries.

According to him, since Buba’s withdrawal, many supporters have accused some APC stakeholders in Bauchi State of working against the senator’s governorship ambition ahead of the 2027 elections.

He maintained that Buba remained the most credible candidate to govern Bauchi, citing his record in youth empowerment, women support programmes, job creation, education and healthcare since becoming senator representing Bauchi South.

Modibbo added that the state stood to benefit significantly if the senator eventually emerged as governor in 2027.

The group also pledged to mobilise support for Buba across the state to ensure his electoral success, while urging women and youths to sensitise the public to the need to elect a capable and people-oriented leader.

Leader of the women’s wing of the Mujaddadi Kafar Kafarmu Group, Ummi Aliyu, said members were prepared to intensify grassroots mobilisation in support of the senator.

She stressed that the people should look beyond party affiliations and support candidates based on competence, credibility and leadership qualities.

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President Bola Tinubu on Sunday clinched the All Progressives Congress presidential ticket for the 2027 general election, polling 10,999,162 votes against his sole challenger, Stanley Osifo, who scored 16,503 in the nationwide direct primaries conducted across all 8,809 wards on Saturday, May 23.

The Returning Officer and Chairman of the Presidential Primary Elections Committee, Pius Anyim, announced the final figures and made the declaration after the nationwide collation of results at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, Abuja.

The exercise ended the scheduled primaries of the APC, ahead of the 2027 elections.

The APC kicked off its 2027 primary elections with the House of Representatives exercise, followed by the Senate primaries on Monday, May 18, state Houses of Assembly primaries on Wednesday, May 20, governorship primaries on Thursday, May 21, and the presidential primary on Saturday, May 23.

Speaking at the presidential primary declaration on Sunday, Anyim stated that total registered voters stood at 12,643,30 11,069,756 were accredited, while 11,015,665 votes were cast.

“It is, therefore, my duty as returning officer for this primary election to declare President Bola Tinubu, having satisfied the guidelines, as the winner of the APC presidential primary election and hereby declare the presidential candidate of the APC,” Anyim said.

Tinubu, thereafter, received the party’s certificate of return and flag from the party chairman, Prof Nentawe Yilwatda, in a ceremony attended by APC governors, members of the National Executive Committee, the National Working Committee, lawmakers and party stalwarts.

In his acceptance speech, the President thanked the party leadership and members who voted in the nationwide exercise, acknowledging the trust they reposed in him to be the flag bearer in the 2027 polls.

He said, “I accept with profound humility and gratitude the nomination of our great party, the APC, to stand again as your presidential candidate in the 2027 election.”

The President said he had watched the primary exercise unfold on television after casting his own vote at his Ward L2 polling unit in Ikoyi-Obalende, Lagos, on Saturday morning, describing what he saw across the country as a personal source of inspiration.

“I was glued to the television after voting. I saw the mammoth crowd in Kano and Kaduna, the city boy walking the streets of Calabar.

“It was a good feeling to see that there was no bloodshed, no rancour. This is politics in earnest. This is where we want Nigeria, facing one focus,” he noted.

Tinubu extended a hand of partnership to political opponents, critics of his administration and to his sole contender, Osifo.

He said, “To those who despise our philosophy, we offer dialogue and engagement, not anger, confident that the sincerity of our purpose and the result of our work will speak for themselves.

“Democracy is sustained not by uniformity but by diversity, by a shared belief in the nation, and the blending of ideas. I owe you no grudge, including Osifo, who spent his money.”

Tinubu also pledged to work with every section of the polity and Nigerians from all walks of life.

“I pledge to build an even more inclusive government, one that listens, learns, and leads with the best interests of all Nigerians at heart,” he said, adding that the next election must be “a reaffirmation of Nigeria’s democratic maturity” rather than merely a contest of parties.

Reflecting on the past three years he has spent in office, Tinubu acknowledged that the economic reforms his administration has pursued since May 2023 have been painful not only for citizens but for him personally.

He revealed, “I know what it takes to reform this nation we met in tatters. If you lost sleep, I’ve lost some too. If you’ve lost weight, I’ve lost some too.

“But I’ve always remembered one thing: in 2022, I asked for this job. You all supported me, and I got it. So I must do it…Since that night, a lot has changed. The political landscape has evolved. Thank you, all of you.”

He argued that his efforts have yielded results, citing deliverables such as the Nigerian Education Loan Fund with, he said, has disbursed over N282bn across 1.5 million beneficiaries.

He also cited the Presidential Metering Initiative, which he said has supplied 2.5 million meters nationwide; a N4tn bond programme to settle legacy debts owed to power-generating and gas companies; and a peak power generation of 6,000 megawatts, which he argued was 50 per cent above what the administration inherited.

On security, Tinubu said his government is intensifying its partnership with local communities and also reviewing its security blueprint to tackle evolving threats.

“I acknowledge the security challenges still confronting parts of our beloved nation. I assure you that I take seriously the responsibility to safeguard the lives and property of every Nigerian.

“Our government has intensified efforts to strengthen our security architecture, support our brave armed forces and the police, and forge stronger partnerships with local communities,” he stated.

The President said his administration had invested in intelligence, surveillance and modern equipment, and was addressing the root causes of insecurity.

He also called on the National Assembly to act.

According to him, “We also expect the National Assembly to amend the Constitution to allow the creation of state police as a matter of national emergency.

“We will not rest until we restore peace and stability to every corner of our country. Our resolve is unwavering, and our goal is clear: a Nigeria where every citizen can live, work, and aspire without fear.”

Meanwhile, Tinubu’s main contender, Osifo, has pledged to work with the party to ensure victory at the presidential polls next January.

Osifo, who spoke to our correspondent shortly after the conclusion of the exercise, said, “I’m okay with the outcome of the results. And I’m working with the party, I’m working with the candidate of the party as well. I have no problem with it.”

He, however, debunked notions that framed his candidacy as a challenge to the President.

“We are one party, we are members of the All Progressives Congress, we are one family.

“So we are not challenging ourselves. What we did was to have within ourselves who would become the candidate of the party.

“So where we are now, we have that already today,” he explained.

On Tinubu’s public declaration that he holds no grudge against the sole contender, Osifo said he shares the same sentiment as the President.

He argued, “That is why we are working together. We are one party, so we must work together. Nobody is an island.

“Even if I had become the candidate today, I cannot work alone. Offering an olive branch is something that everybody would want to support the President for.”

He thanked his nationwide organisational network for the effort, noting that coordinators had been deployed in all 36 states and the FCT, across every local government and ward in the country.

“It’s not been an easy task. They have done marvellously well.

“I am a very young man. I have a lot of years ahead of me, so it’s possible for things to happen. But I think God knows better, and God knows tomorrow.

“So let’s just put our hope in God and work as we move forward,” he stated.

Osifo had recorded zero votes in the Federal Capital Territory,  Delta, Kogi, Ebonyi, Jigawa, Borno, Kwara, Enugu, Kebbi, Ondo, Edo and Kaduna states, among others, but secured over 5,248 votes in Niger State.

The direct primaries were the first contested presidential primary in APC’s history and a product of the Electoral Act 2026, signed by Tinubu in February, which eliminated indirect primaries and mandated that parties adopt either consensus or direct primaries.

APC stronger – Yilwatda

The APC national chairman, Prof Yilwatda, said the ruling party remains the strongest political force ahead of the 2027 general elections.

He insisted that no opposition party could match the APC’s growing membership strength, nationwide structure, and massive participation in its ongoing internal processes.

Speaking at the party’s presidential primary election national collation centre, Yilwatda said the massive participation in the party’s 2027 primaries reflected how the APC is increasingly becoming the preferred platform for Nigerians seeking electoral victory.

Responding to questions from journalists, the national chairman disclosed that the reconciliation committee headed by Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni, is working tirelessly to address grievances and resolve issues arising during and after the primaries.

“The APC is becoming the rallying point for all political parties. Everybody wants to be in the APC. The competition to be in the APC is quite high, and we see thousands of people buying our forms.

“It shows how our party is accepted by Nigerians and by the people. If you saw the mass turnout yesterday in all the congresses held to nominate the President, the numbers were in their thousands, and this is just a mock demonstration of what the general election will look like.

“It shows clearly that no other party would win the election because the numbers turning out are in the thousands.

“Believe me, no political party can showcase one-tenth of what we presented in their own congresses. It shows that we are on the path, and the winning path,” he said.

Speaking on grievances which trailed the exercises, Yilwatda said, “You should know that when it comes to power, it is a game of power, and everybody wants to be the one elected. Everyone wants to find reasons why he should be elected. But we, as a party, have internal mechanisms for conflict resolution.

“We have the presidential conflict resolution team and the party reconciliation team. So we activate them to go down to the state level and the national level to ensure quicker reconciliation, a fast healing process, and merge it with campaigns to ensure that we win the 2027 election.”

The APC national chairman acknowledged that complaints are inevitable in a contest of this magnitude, but dismissed claims that videos showing miscounted voters originated from the party’s primaries.

“There is no way you can have a political contest anywhere in the world of this nature, and nobody complains. In fact, if you see any political party where nobody complains about congresses or internal elections, that party is actually weak.

“Strong parties have strong opposition from within, all vying for positions.

“It is just like a football league—imagine a league where nobody is complaining; it means the league is not competitive. The competition here is quite high, and every Nigerian looks up to the APC as a vehicle that will bring them to power in 2027.

“Sometimes you see videos online. I even received a video that was sent to me, which I later found out was from an event that happened three or four years ago.

“These are unverified videos and were not even meant for our party activities. They were from activities somewhere else, even union or leadership elections in different settings, but are being circulated as if they are APC activities.

“If you check all our activities, we have our flags, our banners, and people raising their membership cards. In those videos, you cannot see any APC banner anywhere. So it shows clearly that those were not APC activities,” he stated.

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The Peoples Democratic Party on Sunday conducted its governorship primaries to elect flagbearers across several states ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Chief among those who emerged were former federal lawmaker representing Remo Federal Constituency and its candidate in the 2023 election, Oladipupo Adebutu, as the candidate for Ogun State.

Similarly, in Katsina State, the PDP declared Senator Yakubu Lado as its governorship candidate after he secured 77,013 votes in a peaceful primary, while in Jigawa State, Mustapha Sule Lamido, son of the former governor, Sule Lamido, was affirmed unopposed as the party’s flagbearer at a delegates’ congress in Dutse.

In Adamawa State, Maurice Vunobolki emerged as the PDP governorship candidate, while in Lagos State, former party chairman, Adedeji Doherty, was affirmed as the consensus candidate.

In Benue State, the party’s candidate and former Attorney General of the Federation, Michael Aondoakaa (SAN), unveiled Dr Oyije Ogbenjuwa as his running mate, pledging to prioritise security and youth inclusion if elected.

Meanwhile, in Gombe State, tension trailed the PDP primaries as governorship aspirants rejected an alleged attempt to include former APC aspirant, Prof Isa Pantami, in the party’s ongoing selection process, warning against actions capable of triggering legal disputes.

Adebutu’s emergence at the venue of the primaries in Abeokuta came through voice affirmation by the party members who came from the 20 local government areas and 236 wards.

The event was witnessed by officials from the Independent National Electoral Commission.

The Chairman of the PDP governorship primaries for the state, Afolabi Ariyo, led the party members in a voice vote affirming Adebutu as the consensus governorship candidate for the 2027 election.

With his emergence, he will face the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Solomon Adeola, popularly called Yayi, in the election in 2027.

In his acceptance speech, Adebutu hailed party members for the large turnout and support, urging them to remain unwavering as the party remained determined to send the APC packing from the state in 2027.

He explained that though he was denied governorship in 2023 through what he called manipulation, he had the assurance that the people’s vote would be allowed to count in 2027.

Speaking earlier, the state chairman of the party, Abayomi Tella, said the large turnout of party members for the exercise further confirmed that the opposition party was not dead in the state.

Tella urged the party members to remain united and work for the victory of the party ahead of the 2027 election.

Also speaking at the event, former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, described Adebutu as a political leader who has all it takes to take the state to greater heights.

He called on party members to stay united and work together for  the victory of the party in 2027.

In Katsina State, Lado was declared the winner of the governorship primaries.

Chairman of the PDP governorship primary election committee, Nuradeen Sani, announced the result on Sunday, saying the process was conducted in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act.

Declaring the outcome, Sani said the exercise was peaceful and transparent.

“Being the chairman of the governorship primary election of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), together with my committee members, and having followed the Electoral Act in conducting the primary election of the PDP for Katsina State, I hereby announce the result.

“The total number of 78,085 was accredited, while a total of 77,013 votes were cast in favour of Senator Yakubu Lado, as 72 delegates came in behind and could not vote.

“Lado, having scored the majority of votes cast, is hereby declared the winner of the consensus primary election today, Sunday, 24th May, 2026,” he declared.

With his emergence, Lado will face the incumbent governor and candidate of the APC in the election, Dikko Radda.

In Jigawa, thousands of PDP members affirmed Mustapha Sule Lamido as the party’s governorship candidate.

The exercise drew members and supporters from the state’s 287 wards to the state capital.

In his acceptance speech delivered shortly after the affirmation, Lamido, who also flew the PDP flag in 2023, said: “I stand before you today with a heart full of gratitude and a deep sense of responsibility.”

He said he humbly accepted the mandate as the flagbearer of the PDP for the 2027 elections.

Lamido recalled that in 2023, the people entrusted him with the same responsibility, and they ran a campaign rooted in unity, hope, reform, and the promise of a better Jigawa.

“Though we did not secure victory then, we earned the confidence of hundreds of thousands of our people and laid a strong foundation,” he stated.

He said the party was back in the race because the problems bedevilling the state were still present, including unprecedented hardship, bad governance, and insensitive leadership.

“We are here to rebuild Jigawa into a state that works for all, where leadership is accountable, resources are managed responsibly, and opportunities are accessible to every citizen,” he said.

He, however, stressed that he accepted the candidacy not as a personal ambition but as a collective mission to rescue, rebuild, and reposition the state for sustainable progress.

Lamido will face the governor, Umar Namadi, in the February 6, 2027, election.

In Adamawa State, the party affirmed Maurice Vunobolki as the candidate, while ex-PDP chairman in Lagos State, Adedeji Doherty, emerged the Lagos PDP governorship consensus candidate.

Doherty will contest the 2027 election with the incumbent Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat, flying the flag of the APC, alongside the candidates of the African Democratic Congress and the Nigeria Democratic Congress.

Doherty’s emergence followed his adoption by delegates and stakeholders during the party’s primaries held in Ikeja.

Doherty, who currently serves as the South-West Zonal Chairman of a faction of the PDP aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, was unanimously endorsed by party delegates drawn from the 20 local government areas of Lagos State.

Announcing the outcome of the exercise, the Chairman of the PDP governorship primary electoral committee in Lagos State, Mr Olalekan Rotimi, said the party adopted the consensus option in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026.

Rotimi said the process reflected the collective decision of party leaders and stakeholders across the state.

“In accordance with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026, which grants political parties the option of selecting candidates either through direct election or consensus, the Lagos State PDP family has today unanimously adopted and endorsed Mr Adedeji Doherty as the sole governorship candidate of our party for the 2027 Lagos State governorship election,” he said.

In his acceptance speech, Doherty pledged to pursue inclusive governance and promised to build what he described as a prosperous Lagos that works for all residents, irrespective of political, ethnic or social background.

Also on Sunday, a former deputy governor of Oyo State, Hazeem Gbolarumi, emerged as the PDP governorship candidate.

He polled 3,615 votes to defeat his main challenger in the election, Beulah Adeoye, who polled 22.

Adeoye had dumped the Governor Seyi Makinde camp of the PDP for the Wike camp after the governor joined the Allied People’s Movement for his presidential declaration, alongside other loyalists.

In Benue State, Aondoakaa (SAN) picked a 38-year-old Dr Ogbenjuwa as his running mate.

Unveiling his choice of running mate at the party’s congress held in Makurdi on Sunday, Aondoakaa said the nomination was to show that the party is youth-friendly, while he promised that his immediate priority if given the mandate in 2027 is to stop all attacks and bloodshed in Benue communities.

He called on every member of the party to close ranks and work together as one united family.

Aspirants of the party in Gombe State, however, rejected attempts to “smuggle” Pantami into the primaries.

In a communiqué issued on Sunday, the aspirants said Pantami, who participated in the APC governorship primaries held on May 21, 2026, could not lawfully defect to the PDP and seek to participate in another governorship primary for the same election cycle.

The communiqué was jointly signed by Alhaji Abdulkadir-Hamma Saleh, Khamisu-Ahmed Mailantarki, Usman-Aliyu Garry, and Monica Kaltho.

Recall that Pantam withdrew from the APC governorship primaries, having alleged irregularities as the basis for his decision.

The aspirants, in their release on Sunday, said in the interest of party unity and cohesion, they had unanimously agreed to allow the leadership of the PDP in Gombe State to pick from among them to be the party’s flagbearer.

According to them, the agreement was reached “in respect and deference to the leadership of our great party,” particularly the leader of the PDP in the state, Ibrahim Dankwambo, alongside the state executive committee, the 11 local government chairmen, and the elders committee.

The communiqué stated that the aspirants had already signed a written undertaking committing themselves to abide by the decision of the party leadership.

“We, therefore, condemn in the strongest terms the alleged attempt to smuggle into the PDP primaries an aspirant who, by law and established democratic principles, is ineligible to participate, having already contested in the APC governorship primaries held on 21st May, 2026,” the statement read.

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