By Suleiman Anyalewechi

An unprecedented wave of defections has hit the ranks of the All Progressive Congress, APC, in Bauchi State. This is as a result of the discontent which greeted the just concluded Party Primaries.

Almost all the National Assembly members  that lost their return bids are exiting the party

Leading the pack of the defectors is the Senator representing Bauchi South ,Shehu Buba Umar.

Buba who announced his defection just days after losing the APC Governorship ticket, has formally joined forces with the, Peoples Redemption Party, PRP .

Also joining the defection train is the Senator representing Bauchi North, Samaila Kaila Dahuma .

Senator Dahuma who has equally moved to the PRP, resigned after losing his bid for a return ticket to the National Assembly.

Similarly, the member representing Jama’are/Itas-Gadau Federal Constituency, Hon Rabilu, announced his decision to part ways with the APC with immediate effect .

He equally lost his  bid to secure a return ticket to the House of Representatives. His resignation was contained in a letter addressed to the Kashuri Ward APC chairman.

Another of the defectors, the Deputy Governorship Candidate of the APC in the 2023 general elections, Hon Shehu Aliyu Musa, in the same vein,announced his resignation , having lost his bid to secure the party’s ticket for the Bauchi South Senatorial District.

He cited lack of purposeful leadership, unfair treatment of party members, and lack of cohesion among leaders of the party as some of the reasons for his action.

Before the latest wave of defection, the party had, in the wake of the State Assembly Primaries, lost significant number of chieftains together with their supporters, including former Majority Leader of the State House of Assembly Assembly, Hon. Tijjani Mohammed Aliyu.

Most of them cited alleged manipulations of the primaries’ for the production of a pre-determined outcome as well as a complete absence of internal democracy as part of their  reasons  for existing the party.

However, Senator Buba, in his statement blamed the mass defection on what he described as ” absence of internal democracy, lack of fairness, marginalisation of genuine party members, and increasing disregard for the opinions, and aspirations of grassroots supporters within the APC .

While urging his supporters to join him in his new political abode, Senator Buba insisted that his people deserve far better than they are getting from the APC.

“Our people deserve better governance, better opportunities, and leadership that truly listens to their concerns.

“Politics should be about service to humanity, justice, development, and improving the living conditions of the masses”, Buba stated.

By Ayodele Oni

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has faulted the 10.99 million votes, recorded for President Bola Tinubu in the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primary election, describing the figure as “unrealistic in a competitive sense.”

The opposition party warned that it could raise questions about electoral transparency ahead of the 2027 general elections.

It suggested that such figures risk “normalising implausible outcomes” in the political space and called for greater vigilance ahead of the next electoral cycle.

ADC also criticised President Tinubu’s remarks in his acceptance speech during the announcement of the election results, dismissing the opposition and describing them as self-serving, insensitive, and disconnected from the realities facing Nigerians.

President Tinubu, while delivering his acceptance speech as the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2027 general elections, had declared that opposition leaders lacked vision and would only take Nigeria backwards.

But in a swift response issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC described the statement as ironic, arguing that it came from a government whose record, has deepened economic hardship and weakened public confidence in governance.

The party said it was “astonishing” that an administration under which millions of Nigerians are facing worsening poverty, rising insecurity, and economic distress could position itself as a benchmark of progress, while dismissing opposition voices.

“If the opposition is going to take the country backwards, it would only be to reset it from the edge of the dangerous precipice this administration has placed it on.

“To continue on the current trajectory is to risk plunging the nation further into the abyss,” the statement read.

The ADC expressed concern over what it described as Nigeria’s deteriorating socio-economic conditions, citing rising food insecurity, inflation, unemployment, and widespread insecurity across several regions of the country.

According to the party, recent international assessments project that tens of millions of Nigerians may face acute food and nutrition insecurity in 2026, while millions remain displaced due to persistent violent attacks in parts of the country.

It added that many households have been forced to reduce meals, businesses are shutting down under economic pressure, and farming communities are increasingly unable to access their farmlands due to insecurity.

“The opposition did not create the hunger in the land. It did not destroy the value of the naira.

“It did not create the insecurity that has turned farming communities into killing fields. Nigerians know where responsibility lies.”

The ADC also condemned President Tinubu’s remarks on opposition capacity, insisting that Nigerians are more concerned with tangible outcomes than political rhetoric.

“Citizens are asking simple questions: Why is food unaffordable? Why are businesses collapsing? Why are citizens increasingly unsafe? Why is poverty deepening despite repeated promises of reform?

“The ADC states clearly that the opposition will move Nigeria forward. The country cannot continue on this path of worsening hardship, institutional decline, and growing despair. Nigerians deserve competent and compassionate leadership,” it added.