The Campaign Council of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bauchi State has accused the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of targeting its governorship candidate, Sadique Abubakar. The allegation was made by Salisu Barau, Director of Media and Publicity for the APC Campaign Council, during a press conference at the Nigerian Union of Journalists secretariat in Bauchi. Barau was responding to an earlier briefing by Farouk Mustapha, Director General of the PDP Campaign Council, who had spoken after an attack on an APC rally in Duguri, the hometown of Governor Bala Mohammed. The assault left one person dead and 15 injured by gunfire and machete wounds.
The incident occurred on Wednesday, just five hours after seven of the nine governorship candidates gathered at the Bauchi State Police Headquarters to sign a peace accord ahead of the upcoming governorship and State Assembly elections. The APC candidate was absent, represented only by his running mate. Mustapha blamed the APC and its candidate for the violence, claiming that Sadique Abubakar, the former Chief of Air Staff, led thugs from his camp to terrorize the governor’s kinsmen and destroy PDP billboards. He described Wednesday as “one of the saddest days in the political history of Bauchi State,” noting that while other candidates signed the peace accord, Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubakar embarked on a campaign tour of Duguri with “thousands of thugs, conventional and non‑conventional, who were well armed.” Mustapha cited previous incidents in Akuyam (Misau LGA) and Toro LGA, where three people were shot dead without any subsequent investigation.
In response, APC Media and Publicity Director Salisu Ahmad countered the PDP’s accusations, stating that three members of the APC team were shot and wounded, and that this was not the first attempt on their candidate’s life. Ahmad argued that the PDP had already lost the forthcoming governorship election, leading to “desperation” in its handling of APC matters, particularly concerning Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar. He linked the violence to Governor Bala Mohammed’s rhetoric, recalling the governor’s calls for youth to be violent against perceived threats during his campaign tours, similar to his 2019 statements against former Governor Mohammed Abubakar. Ahmad concluded by condemning “dirty politics and violence,” urging the people of Bauchi State to maintain peace and focus on protecting the state, as advocated by Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubakar.
Comments are closed for this story.