Machina, Maihaja Petition APC Over Yobe Governorship Primaries

Two aggrieved All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirants in Yobe State, Hon. Bashir Sheriff Machina and Engr. Mustapha Yunusa Maihaja, have submitted petitions challenging the outcome of the party’s recently concluded governorship primary elections.

The duo submitted their complaints at the APC state secretariat in Damaturu, alleging irregularities in the conduct of the exercise across the state.

Speaking to journalists, Machina said the aspirants visited the party secretariat to submit their petitions but found no officials or members of the electoral committee available to receive them.

He said repeated attempts to reach party officials through calls and text messages were unsuccessful.

“We have tried to reach out to them by calling, sending text messages but still no response from any of the officials,” he said.

Machina also alleged that their agents were excluded from parts of the process and that the exercise was disrupted in some locations, claiming that unfamiliar individuals were introduced into the electoral process.

“We are Yobeans and politicians, we know everybody; you cannot bring someone who is not from Yobe State and claim they are from Yobe State,” he said.

Also speaking, Maihaja alleged that the primary was marred by irregularities, including fabricated results and exclusion of duly cleared aspirants.

“Usual things that happen in other states also happened during the primaries by fabricating the results and counting which are unacceptable, fraudulent and are hereby rejected by us,” he said.

The two aspirants called on the national leadership of the APC to intervene, insisting that the process did not comply with party guidelines and the Electoral Act 2026.

They described the exercise as lacking credibility and alleged that it amounted to imposition rather than a democratic primary election.