Bauchi APC Gov’ship Running Mate, APM Clash Over Assassination Allegation

The deputy governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bauchi State for the 2027 elections, Hon. Farouk Mustapha, has alleged that there were plots to assassinate him following his defection from the Allied Peoples Movement (APM).

Mustapha made the allegation on Saturday in Itas, Itas/Gadau Local Government Area, during an event organised to welcome the incumbent member representing Itas/Gadau Constituency in the Bauchi State House of Assembly, Hon. Yusuf Abdullahi Itas, who defected from the APM to the APC.

He claimed that a meeting was allegedly held about one or two months after he left the APM, where plans were made to eliminate him.

However, the deputy director-general of the APM Campaign Organisation in Bauchi State, Hon. Danlami Ahmad Kawule, dismissed the allegation, describing it as baseless and an attempt to attract public sympathy.

Kawule argued that there was no reason for anyone to target Mustapha, insisting that the allegation was fabricated.

Mustapha’s allegation

“About a month or two after I left the party, a meeting was held where plans were hatched to kill Farouk. Faruk’s life is in the hands of God,” he alleged.

The former commissioner maintained that political power comes from God, who gives and takes it away at His own discretion, insisting that no amount of intimidation or alleged plots against his life could alter God’s will.

He described the alleged political attacks against him as signs of desperation ahead of the 2027 elections, adding that his political camp was focused on winning rather than engaging in unnecessary confrontations.

“All the frantic noise they are making now is merely a sign of their impending defeat. We are not concerned with them; they are not our focus,” he said.

Mustapha, who served as Commissioner for Special Duties and Rural Development under Governor Bala Mohammed, also cautioned against the use of malice and false accusations in politics, saying such practices would not benefit Bauchi State.

However, the deputy director-general of the APM Campaign Organisation in Bauchi State, Hon. Danlami Ahmad Kawule, dismissed the allegation, describing it as baseless and an attempt to attract public sympathy.

Kawule argued that there was no reason for anyone to target Mustapha, insisting that the allegation was fabricated.

“This is not the time for games, nor is it appropriate to level false accusations against others just to secure votes or incite resentment toward someone else. There is no justification for a politician to enter the political arena and make such wild, baseless claims simply to garner public sympathy,” he said.

He further described the allegation that Mustapha was being trailed for assassination as untrue, questioning the basis of the claim.

“We don’t even know what he’s talking about. It is nothing more than the desperate rhetoric of someone who realises he is headed for defeat,” Kawule added.

The controversy has also generated reactions on social media, particularly following comments by Shamsuddeen Bala Mohammed, the eldest son of the Bauchi State Governor, who reportedly described the allegation as fabricated and intended to mislead the public.

Mustapha, a former Commissioner for Special Duties and Rural Development, had earlier resigned his membership of the APM in a letter dated May 5, 2026, addressed to the party chairman of Bakin Kasuwa Ward, Azare, Katagum Local Government Area.

He was also a former APC governorship aspirant and served as Director-General of Governor Bala Mohammed’s 2023 re-election campaign under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governorship Campaign Council.

Meanwhile, the defection of Yusuf Abdullahi Itas from the APM to the APC has added to the political realignments ahead of the 2027 elections.

The lawmaker, who chairs the Bauchi State House of Assembly Committee on Petitions, said his decision to leave the APM followed the alleged replacement of his name as the party’s candidate for the Itas/Gadau Constituency in the forthcoming elections.

He expressed dissatisfaction with the party’s decision, saying it did not reflect the political interests of his constituency.

According to him, the alleged substitution of his name informed his decision to join the APC.

Recently, the Bauchi State Police Command has warned political parties and their supporters against violence, thuggery, hate speech and other activities capable of disrupting public peace ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The Commissioner of Police, CP Sani-Omolori Aliyu, gave the warning during a meeting with leaders of political parties at the Police Headquarters in Bauchi.

The meeting was attended by 12 representatives from 10 registered political parties in the state.

Represented by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations, DCP Abdulmajid Isah, the commissioner assured political parties of adequate and impartial security throughout the electioneering period.

“Politics is a contest of ideas. Bauchi State is bigger than any election, and we must all work to keep the peace,” he said.

Aliyu urged political parties to concentrate on promoting their policies and manifestos rather than attacking opponents or engaging in personal insults.

He cautioned them against using abusive language against political opponents, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), traditional institutions and security agencies.

The commissioner also warned against blocking roads, disrupting the rallies of other political parties and violating approved campaign venues, time limits and sound restrictions.

He further advised political parties against carrying firearms, dangerous weapons or illicit drugs to political gatherings, warning them not to mobilise thugs, members of the Sara-Suka group or vigilante groups to cause trouble.

Aliyu disclosed that the Command would monitor online political activities through its Cybercrime Unit, stressing that political parties would be held responsible for the actions of their agents, supporters and media handlers.

He also drew attention to relevant provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022, and the Cybercrimes Act, which prescribe sanctions for offences including thuggery, political violence, destruction of campaign materials, hate speech, incitement, cyberbullying, stalking and deliberate dissemination of false information.