Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State has reaffirmed his support for Baba Mallam Wali as the preferred governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), amid growing opposition from a group of aspirants within the party ahead of the next governorship election.
In a statement issued on Sunday through his spokesman, Mamman Mohammed, the governor said the party was prepared to conduct primary elections should ongoing efforts to reach a consensus fail.
The statement is widely seen as a response to the “G-6” group of APC governorship aspirants, who have rejected Wali’s endorsement as the party’s consensus candidate and are demanding what they describe as a transparent and competitive primary process.
Buni recalled the events leading to the 2019 governorship election in Yobe State, when he emerged as the APC candidate after a similar disagreement over consensus arrangements.
“This is not new. In 2019, I was nominated as a consensus candidate. A few other aspirants contested the decision, and we went for an election where I emerged as the party’s candidate with a very wide margin. We are ready to repeat that history if we cannot reach consensus,” Governor Buni Said
Political tensions have continued to rise in Yobe State as divisions deepen within the APC over the choice of the party’s governorship candidate.
Attempts to broker a consensus among the aspirants have reportedly failed, despite interventions by senior party figures, including Vice President Kashim Shettima.
Members of the G-6 group — Senator Ibrahim Mohammed Bomai, Kashim Musa Tumsah, Bashir Sheriff Machina, Lawan Kolo Geidam, former Inspector-General of Police Baba Alkali, and Mustapha Yunusa Maihaja — have maintained their opposition to Wali’s endorsement.
However, Governor Buni and the Minister of Police Affairs, Ibrahim Gaidam, have continued to back Wali’s candidature, insisting there is no reversal of their position.
With the APC governorship primaries expected in the coming days, political observers in Yobe are closely watching developments as the party seeks to manage internal divisions ahead of the contest.
