The campaign organisation of Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar has refuted reports that supporters of the erstwhile Minister of Foreign Affairs had decided to back the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Mohammed Abubakar, in the 2027 governorship election in Bauchi State.
In a statement issued Thursday by the Senior Special Assistant on Media to Tuggar, Alkasim Abdulkadir, the campaign described the reports as false and said they did not reflect the position of the Tuggar Campaign Organisation.
“Our attention has been drawn to reports claiming that supporters of Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar have accepted the outcome of the APC governorship primary in Bauchi State and shifted their allegiance. This claim is false and does not represent the position of the Tuggar Campaign Organisation,” the statement said.
According to the campaign, those who addressed the press and claimed to be speaking for Tuggar’s supporters had themselves acknowledged that they were not authorised to represent the former minister.
“The individuals who addressed the press openly admitted they were not speaking on behalf of Ambassador Tuggar and had no authority to make declarations in his name. Their views are personal and cannot be presented as those of the Ambassador or his supporters,” it added.
The campaign further maintained that no valid APC governorship primary election took place in Bauchi State.
“The Tuggar Campaign Organisation maintains that no valid APC governorship primary election was conducted in Bauchi State. The so called consensus was neither preceded by broad consultation nor based on the voluntary agreement of all aspirants and key stakeholders. It therefore cannot be regarded as a legitimate consensus under the principles of internal party democracy,” it said.
The organisation argued that the purported consensus was “neither preceded by extensive consultations nor based on the voluntary agreement of all aspirants and critical stakeholders within the party.”
“Ambassador Tuggar remains committed to the APC, its constitution, and the rule of law,” the statement added.
The campaign also urged media organisations to verify claims made by groups purporting to speak for the former minister.
“We urge the media to distinguish between the statements of self appointed groups and the official position of the Tuggar Campaign Organisation. Ambassador Tuggar’s support base spans all 20 local government areas of Bauchi State and cannot be represented by a handful of individuals,” the statement noted.