Former foreign minister Yusuf Maitama Tuggar has entered the Bauchi State governorship race, submitting the All Progressives Congress (APC) expression of interest and nomination forms on Wednesday after paying the ₦50 million filing fee.
In a press briefing following the submission, Tuggar outlined his primary agenda for Bauchi: tackling insecurity and revitalising the state’s agricultural sector. He said the persistence of security challenges and the under‑utilisation of arable land are “top priorities” that must be addressed to improve livelihoods.
“The challenge of insecurity and the need to properly utilise our farmland will be top priorities. Bauchi has vast land resources, and these must be structured in a way that supports subsistence farmers and pastoralists while lifting people out of poverty,” he told journalists.
Tuggar warned that equitable land access is essential to avoid an economic imbalance in which a small elite controls resources at the expense of the majority. He stressed that any land‑allocation framework must be transparent and inclusive.
Regarding the APC’s internal selection process, the aspirant said he would accept either a direct primary or a consensus‑based arrangement, provided the method is transparent and credible. “I am comfortable with whichever option the party adopts, as long as it guarantees fairness. What matters most is producing candidates who have integrity and genuine support among the people,” he added.
Tuggar resigned from his ministerial post on 30 March 2026, obeying President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive that political appointees seeking elective office must step down. His departure opened the foreign affairs portfolio to Bianca Odumegwu‑Ojukwu, who had previously served as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and was appointed to head the ministry in early April.
Tuggan’s entry into the Bauchi governorship race adds a high‑profile figure to the APC’s slate ahead of the state’s 2027 elections. The party is expected to conduct its primaries later this year, after which the official candidate will be confirmed for the November ballot. The focus on security and agriculture signals the themes likely to dominate campaign discourse in Bauchi and across Nigeria’s northern region.
