Adamawa APC aspirant seeks fresh primary over alleged exclusion
A governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Adamawa State, Salihu Bakari, has petitioned the party’s Election Appeal Committee over his alleged exclusion from the just concluded governorship primary election held on 21 May 2026.
Bakari, in a letter addressed to the chairman of the committee, said he purchased the party’s governorship nomination form and participated in the screening exercise in accordance with APC guidelines and procedures.
According to him, he attended the screening process after receiving an invitation from the committee and completed the exercise successfully.
He, however, expressed surprise that his name was omitted from the list of aspirants released for the governorship primary without any explanation from the party.
Bakari stated that at no stage after the screening exercise was he notified of any disqualification, adverse finding or decision affecting his eligibility to contest.
He further claimed that he was neither invited to appear before the post screening appeal committee nor informed through any publication that he was required to appear before any panel.
According to the aspirant, there was nothing throughout the process to indicate that he had been disqualified or excluded from participation in the primary election.
He argued that the omission became more troubling because other aspirants who allegedly failed to meet screening requirements were specifically identified on the released list as “Not Cleared”, while his own name did not appear at all despite completing the screening process.
Bakari also alleged that he was not contacted by the party to submit the names of his agents for the election and claimed that his name was omitted entirely from the final results announced after the exercise.
He said the development raised concerns about fairness, transparency and equal opportunity in the conduct of the party’s internal democratic process.
The aspirant argued that the omission effectively denied him the opportunity to participate in the election as guaranteed under the Constitution, the Electoral Act 2026, the APC constitution and the party’s guidelines for conducting primaries.
Bakari appealed to the APC Election Appeal Committee to intervene by reviewing the circumstances surrounding his omission, restoring his name to a revised list of cleared aspirants and ordering a fresh governorship primary to enable him participate fully in the process.
He reiterated his commitment to the ideals, unity and progress of the APC and expressed confidence in the party leadership to ensure justice and adherence to due process.