2027: Buhari’s son’s endorsement triggers political firestorm

The controversial endorsement of Yusuf Buhari, son of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, for the House of Representatives seat in the Daura/Sandamu/Mai’adua Federal Constituency ahead of the 2027 elections has ignited a political firestorm within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Katsina State.

The storms and divisions surfaced days after a stakeholders’ meeting in Sandamu Local Government Area, where party leaders announced Yusuf Buhari as their preferred candidate.

Speaking at the gathering, the council chairman, Usman Na Lado, described the move as a collective resolution aimed at strengthening the APC’s electoral chances. He said Yusuf’s candidacy was based on “his perceived capacity and acceptance among stakeholders.”

Lado also reaffirmed support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Dikko Umar Radda as the party’s flag bearers for the presidency and governorship, respectively, while endorsing Speaker Nasiru Yahaya Daura for the Daura Senatorial seat.

However, dissenting voices quickly emerged. At a separate meeting involving stakeholders from five local government areas within the Daura Emirate, party leaders rejected what they described as an attempt to impose Yusuf on the constituency.

Chairman of the meeting, Barrister Usman Ahmed El-Marzuk, a former APC national legal adviser in Daura, dismissed claims that Governor Radda approved any such endorsement.

“There is nowhere the governor has said that any candidate should be imposed. These claims are false and are being spread to confuse the public,” he stated.

El-Marzuk insisted that the governor had consistently upheld internal democracy, allowing each constituency to decide its candidates. He warned that unilateral endorsements could undermine party unity and hand advantage to opposition parties.

Similarly, Daura Local Government Chairman, Hon. Bala Musa Daura, urged the public to disregard reports of “imposed candidates.”

The governor’s Special Adviser on Political Matters, Yau Umar Gwajo-Gwajo, also denied any directive supporting the endorsement.

Stakeholders reiterated that the APC constitution provides for consensus or open contest, stressing that due process must prevail ahead of 2027.