PECULIARITIES OF BAUCHI STATE POLITICS
On several instances in the past, the people of Bauchi State have demonstrated that there is no room for imposition of candidates on the electorate. In 2007, when former Governor Ahmadu Muazu tried to install the Secretary to State Government, Nadada Umar on the PDP ticket, former governor Isa Yuguda of the defunct ANPP won the election through protest votes. Likewise, in 2015, Isa Yuguda anointed Auwal Jatau on the PDP mandate only to lose to APC’s M. A. Abubakar, also through protest votes.
In 2019, the APC’s direct primary elections that preceded the general election were controversial and therefore considered by most active political actors at the time as a sham. They protested and at different levels worked against the party to bring Gov. Bala Mohammed of PDP. In 2023, in probable revenge, MA Abubakar of APC had his supporters back Bala Mohammed of PDP to contribute to the efforts at defeating retired Air Marshal Sadiq Baba Abubakar of APC.
Going by all that has transpired and given the outcomes of the just concluded primary elections across the political parties in the state, except APM and APC, all the other political parties came out clean. NNPP’s Ahmed Shuaibu, ADC’s Halliru Jika, PDP’s Usman Sufi and PRP’s Shehu Buba were the creations of either circumstances or personal political efforts. However, in APM, Yakubu Adamu is Governor Bala Mohammed’s making while Ali Pate allegedly single-handedly made MA Abubakar in APC.
