The 2027 governorship contest in the All Progressives Congress (APC) is already testing the party’s unity, as two former Inspectors-General of Police challenge their state governors’ preferred successors and insist on open primaries. In Nasarawa and Yobe, Mohammed Abubakar Adamu and Usman Alkali Baba are seeking the APC tickets on their own merit, setting up direct confrontations with the consensus candidates anointed by Governors Abdullahi Sule and Mai Mala Buni.
Nasarawa: Adamu rejects Sule’s backing for Wadada
In Nasarawa, former IGP Mohammed Abubakar Adamu is actively pursuing the APC governorship ticket for 2027 and has rejected the party’s consensus arrangement.
Adamu, who served as Nigeria’s 20th IGP from January 2019 to April 2021, obtained the APC Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms in early May 2026. He said his decision followed “a clarion call” from Nasarawa people who trust his leadership and experience.
His bid suffered a setback after Governor Abdullahi Sule endorsed Senator Ahmed Wadada of Nasarawa West as his preferred successor and pushed for a consensus candidate ahead of the May 21, 2026 APC primary.
Adamu’s camp has opposed the move, calling it “unconstitutional” and a threat to internal democracy. Through his campaign Director-General Musa Hussein, he argued that the APC constitution permits only direct primaries or consensus reached through due process, not unilateral endorsement. He also alleged pressure and intimidation of party officials to force acceptance of Wadada.
Adamu insists he will not accept consensus and is prepared for a free, fair, and credible primary. His stance has deepened divisions within the Nasarawa APC and set up a high-stakes contest against Wadada.
Yobe: Baba challenges Wali’s consensus endorsement
In Yobe, former IGP Usman Alkali Baba has purchased the APC governorship nomination form. Baba, who served as Nigeria’s 21st IGP from April 2021 to May 2023, hails from Geidam Local Government Area.
He has rejected the nomination of former Secretary to the State Government Baba Malam Wali as the consensus candidate. Wali was endorsed by the Yobe APC Critical Stakeholders Forum at an Abuja meeting backed by Governor Mai Mala Buni and Minister of Police Affairs Ibrahim Gaidam, who chairs the forum.
The forum said it adopted consensus to avoid divisions and maintain continuity of Buni’s development agenda. Although Senator Ahmad Lawan was absent from the endorsement meeting, he later aligned with the decision. Baba, however, has vowed to press on, arguing that a primary election should determine the APC’s 2027 governorship candidate in Yobe. He told an online news platform that he would support whoever emerges from the process.
What happens next?
As the May 21 primary in Nasarawa and the buildup to the Yobe contest draw closer, the standoff underscores a growing tension within the APC between top-down consensus and grassroots competition. Both Adamu and Baba contend that a credible primary is the only way to strengthen internal democracy and prevent post-primary fractures. Whether the party leadership accommodates their demand or insists on consensus will not only determine the APC’s flagbearers in the two states but also shape the space for dissenting voices in the party’s 2027 electoral strategy.
