APC aspirant threatens legal action over alleged unjust omission

YOLA —By Ojoma Yusuf,Yola

A frontline governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Adamawa State, Dr. Salihu Bakari, has rejected the outcome of the party’s governorship primary process, alleging that his name was unjustly omitted from the list of cleared aspirants despite fulfilling all requirements for participation.

Speaking through his media aide, Marculey Humwashi, during a press conference in Yola, Bakari described the omission as a violation of due process and called on the party leadership to order a fresh governorship primary election in the state.

According to Humwashi, Bakari duly purchased the APC governorship nomination form and participated in the screening exercise conducted by the party ahead of the May 21, 2026 governorship primary election.

He stated that the aspirant was neither informed of any disqualification nor invited before any appeal committee, making the omission of his name from the final list of cleared aspirants “shocking and unacceptable.”

“I, Salihu Bakari, duly purchased the party’s governorship nomination form with the intention of contesting in the 2026 governorship primaries under the platform of the APC,” the statement read.

“In line with the party’s guidelines and procedures, I honoured the invitation of the screening committee and successfully participated in the screening exercise.

“However, to my utmost surprise, I discovered that the list released by the committee responsible for conducting the primary election omitted my name entirely without any explanation or stated reason.”

Bakari maintained that while some aspirants who allegedly failed to meet screening requirements were clearly marked as “Not Cleared,” his own name was completely absent from the list despite completing the screening process.

He argued that the development raised serious concerns about transparency, fairness and equal opportunity within the party’s internal democratic process.

“This omission raises serious concerns about fairness, transparency and equal opportunity in the conduct of the party’s internal democratic process and has effectively denied me the opportunity to participate in the exercise,” the statement added.

Bakari further described the action as a breach of the Nigerian Constitution, the Electoral Act, as well as APC and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) guidelines.

The aggrieved aspirant appealed to the APC National Chairman and the party’s Adamawa State Appeal Committee to intervene by reviewing the circumstances surrounding his omission, restoring his name to the list of cleared aspirants and ordering a fresh primary election in the state.

He also warned that failure to address the matter could force him to seek legal redress.

Bakari reiterated his commitment to the unity and progress of the APC, expressing confidence that the party leadership would ensure justice and adherence to due process.