APC faces acid test in Bauchi as aspirants insist on direct primary

The vow by stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to regain lost ground in Bauchi State may have suffered a setback, as aspirants are divided over moves by certain forces to foist an anointed choice as the consensus candidate ahead of the May 21 governorship primary.

Checks by Nigerian Tribune revealed that over six aspirants are in the race for the governorship ticket in the North-East state, currently under the control of Senator Bala Mohammed, who dumped the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for the Allied People’s Movement (APM) earlier this month.

One of the aspirants who has vowed not to submit to any consensus arrangement is the former Coordinator of the Tinubu/Shettima Campaign Organisation in Bauchi State, Dr Nura Manu.

Speaking with journalists on Sunday after appearing before the APC screening panel at the Kaduna Governor’s Lodge in Abuja, the aspirant said he was not aware of any discussion to pick a consensus candidate.

He said: “Well, I am not aware of any consensus in Bauchi. I have been preparing for elections. I have no intention of stepping down for anybody, so I am not aware of that.”

The aspirant, who said he was confident of victory if a direct primary is adopted, added that he was prepared to address security challenges in the North-East state and promote small-scale businesses.

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He said: “Well, the N100 billion I am talking about is not for security. It is a N100 billion fund I am planning to bring for the state. It is meant to support the commercialisation of agriculture and small-scale enterprises. It is part of my three-point agenda for the state.”