Subtle political tensions are emerging within the Kebbi State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, ahead of the 2027 governorship election following Governor Nasir Idris’ decision to replace his deputy, Umar Abubakar-Tafida, with a former commissioner for finance, Ibrahim Muhammad Augie as his running mate.
The development has placed Governor Idris, his deputy, Umar Abubakar-Tafida, and Augie at the centre of a fresh political controversy.
The announcement of Augie as the governor’s running mate was made on Sunday at the Presidential Lodge in Birnin Kebbi by the APC National Organising Secretary, Suleiman Muhammad Argungu, during a visit by stakeholders from the Argungu Emirate to the governor.
Argungu said the decision followed professional legal advice concerning Tafida’s eligibility to continue as the governor’s running mate for the 2027 election.
He said the party had considered the legal issues arising from the 2023 governorship election and subsequently settled for Augie as Idris’ new running mate.
Argungu also said the decision was taken with Tafida’s understanding and consent, insisting that there was no disagreement between the governor and his deputy.
However, the circumstances surrounding the deputy governor’s replacement became a subject of controversy after his aide, Yahaya Danjadda, disputed the claim that Tafida had been consulted before Augie was presented as the new running mate.
Danjadda, Senior Special Assistant to the Deputy Governor on New Media, said nobody had consulted Tafida before the announcement, describing the suggestion otherwise as an attempt to tarnish his principal’s image.
The conflicting accounts initially raised questions over whether Tafida had personally agreed to step aside from the governor’s 2027 ticket.
Why Idris chose a new running mate
The decision was linked to legal concerns arising from the 2023 governorship litigation involving Idris and Tafida.
Following the 2023 election, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and its candidate, Aminu Bande, challenged the victory of the APC ticket in court.
One of the issues raised in the litigation involved an allegation that Tafida presented a forged secondary school testimonial.
The Court of Appeal rejected the allegation in November 2023 while affirming Idris’ election.
The case subsequently reached the Supreme Court, which affirmed Idris’ election on January 19, 2024.
Argungu said the party’s decision to replace Tafida followed professional legal advice concerning his eligibility to remain on the 2027 ticket.
Despite citing the concluded litigation as the reason for replacing Tafida, the APC has not publicly identified the specific legal finding that would prevent the deputy governor from contesting again.
Tafida has now personally reacted to the development, dismissing claims that the Supreme Court judgment on the 2023 governorship election was responsible for his replacement.
The deputy governor spoke on Wednesday in Argungu when supporters, political associates and well-wishers visited him following the APC’s decision to replace him with Augie, a former Commissioner for Finance in the state.
Tafida said attempts to link his replacement directly to the outcome of the 2023 election litigation were aimed at damaging his political reputation.
He said he had accepted the development as part of the realities of politics but rejected what he described as a false narrative connecting his replacement to the Supreme Court judgment.
“But to capitalise on the technicality presented to the Election Tribunal by the opposition party and later ruled upon by the Supreme Court, and now say that I should be replaced, was totally unbecoming and bogus,” he said.
Tafida said those promoting the narrative were seeking to tarnish his political image, adding that he would continue to explain his side of what transpired.
The deputy governor, however, said he had no objection to the political change if it was aimed at strengthening the party and improving its chances in the 2027 election.
He urged his supporters to remain calm, stressing that political positions were temporary and subject to change.
His reaction adds a new dimension to the controversy, as the deputy governor has rejected the Supreme Court explanation while accepting the political decision to replace him on the 2027 ticket.
The development does not remove Tafida from his current office as Deputy Governor of Kebbi State. It concerns the APC’s 2027 governorship ticket and his replacement as Idris’ running mate for the election.