As political parties begin preparations for the 2027 general elections, Niger State is witnessing a series of defections, disputed party primaries and shifting alliances that have complicated the ruling All Progressives Congress’s efforts to maintain unity ahead of the governorship contest.
The emergence of rival opposition candidates, disagreements over APC’s Niger South senatorial primary and the movement of politicians between parties have changed the political calculations across the state.
The developments have also raised questions about whether the ruling party can resolve its internal differences while defending its record in government.
The Niger South Primary
The dispute dates back to the APC primaries in May 2026, when Idris Legbo Kutigi, Governor Mohammed Umar Bago’s alleged preferred candidate, emerged as the party’s candidate for Niger South Senatorial District after attempts to reach a consensus among aspirants failed.
Among those who contested for the ticket were former Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, chairman, Muhammad Nami, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mohammed Ndarani Mohammed, Senator Peter Ndalikali Jiya, Senator Bima Muhammad Enagi and Engineer Adamu Alfa Abu.
The dissatisfied aspirants challenged the process, alleging irregularities and arguing that the exercise did not reflect the agreed procedures.
Their complaints included an allegation that voting materials had not been delivered before the result was announced.
The dispute escalated into protests at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja in June.
The aspirants subsequently pursued legal action over the outcome, while the party maintained that it had not been formally notified of a court case at the time its state publicity secretary, Alhaji Musa Sarkin-Kaji, addressed the matter.
Bago also made efforts to reconcile the aggrieved aspirants.
At a meeting with candidates and unsuccessful aspirants on July 25, he urged members to remain in the APC and place the party’s collective interest above individual ambitions.
The reconciliation effort did not immediately resolve the dispute.
By July 31, the aggrieved aspirants had rejected the proposed settlement, leaving the Niger South contest as one of the major sources of tension within the ruling party.
In September, APC state publicity secretary, Musa Sarkin-Kaji reaffirmed that Kutigi remained the party’s candidate and urged members to stop attacking APC candidates on social media.
The disagreement over the primary nevertheless continued to shape political alignments in the state.
From APC Aspirant to PDP Candidate
Nami’s political journey illustrates how the dispute moved beyond the senatorial contest.
He had initially pursued the APC governorship ticket but withdrew from the race in September 2025 after consultations with political leaders, including the Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar.
He subsequently focused on the Senate seat, but his defeat in the APC primary changed his political direction.
Nami rejected the outcome and maintained that the grievances arising from the process had not been resolved.
In his public remarks, Nami warned that if the perceived wrongs against Niger South were not corrected, someone from the zone would contest against the Bago administration.
The statement became significant when he later emerged as the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship candidate.
On August 29, 2026, Nami secured the PDP ticket after Architect Abubakar Suleiman stepped down from the race.
His emergence turned a dispute within the APC into a direct challenge from an opposition party, giving the primary fallout wider implications for the governorship election.
During a visit to the PDP state secretariat on September 30, Nami, accompanied by his running mate, Dahir Dan’Azumi Abdul, criticised the Bago administration over its spending priorities, water shortages and insecurity affecting farmers.
He later unveiled a 10-point agenda covering security, human capital development, employment, healthcare and accountability.
Nami’s campaign has sought to connect the grievances of APC members with broader concerns about governance.
On October 8, youths in Gabas/Kudu Ward in Lapai reportedly burnt APC brooms and declared support for him. An APC chieftain, Mohammed Bello said the ward had supported the party since 2015, presenting the incident as a departure from its previous political alignment.
Nami also reportedly met former PDP governorship candidate Umar Mohammed Nasko on October 12 in Abuja to discuss cooperation and support.
Such consultations could help the PDP consolidate its position, although the extent to which they translate into a common campaign structure will depend on the arrangements reached by the political actors involved.
Ndarani Takes the SDP Route
Ndarani also moved away from the APC following the Niger South senatorial primary dispute and became the governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party, with Japhet Pada Samson as his running mate.
In September, Ndarani urged his supporters to remain united and pledged to defend their interests.
His candidacy gives dissatisfied APC members another opposition platform, although his campaign and Nami’s are operating separately.
The emergence of the two candidates has widened the field of political competition in Niger State.
Both are seeking support beyond their immediate political circles, but their ability to attract voters will depend on their campaign organisations, alliances and engagement with communities across the state.
Defections Beyond the Governorship Race
The movement of politicians out of the APC has extended beyond the candidates contesting the governorship.
On July 16, the Niger Rescue Movement Political Family, led by Maikil Al-Amin Bmitosahi, a former chief of staff to ex-governor Abubakar Sani Bello, announced its defection to the ADC.
The group included former commissioners, local government chairmen, councillors and other political associates.
Its members cited dissatisfaction with developments within the APC following the primaries and said they intended to work for political change ahead of the 2027 elections.
In a separate development, more than 200 APC members from Bosso reportedly defected to the ADC under former commissioner Mamman Musa in July.
The defectors cited dissatisfaction with the party’s primary elections and what they described as the concentration of political power.
The ADC has presented the arrivals as an opportunity to expand its grassroots organisation.
However, the political significance of the defections will depend on whether the new members remain active, mobilise supporters and help the party build a coordinated campaign across the state.
The movement has not been entirely in one direction.
In August, Tanko Beji, a former PDP state chairman, defected to the APC. PDP state secretary, Hamidu A. A. Kadi Kuta questioned how Beji would persuade voters to trust the ruling party after years of asking them not to support it.
According to him, in an interview with DAILY POST, “The same people you (Beji) went to 12 years ago and told them not to believe the APC, not to trust them, that they were this and that.
"Then you go back to those same people and tell them to believe the APC. Like these people will believe you? During the campaign, how would he face the people?”
Beji’s subsequent appointment as deputy director-general of the Niger APC Presidential and Gubernatorial Campaign Council placed him within the party’s preparations for 2027.
Assembly Tensions and the G-15
APC’s internal disagreements have also involved elected lawmakers. In late August, reports emerged that 15 members of the Niger State House of Assembly, known as the G-15, were considering leaving the party after failing to secure return tickets.
DAILY POST gathered that the lawmakers reportedly met Bago behind closed doors amid the speculation.
On September 1, Speaker Abdulmalik Sarkin-Daji denied reports of defections.
The G-15 spokesman, Mohammed A. Haruna, said the differences had been resolved, adding that all 27 lawmakers remained in the APC and supported Bago and President Bola Tinubu.
Other reports had suggested that some lawmakers might move to the PDP, but no mass defection was confirmed.
The episode nevertheless highlighted the pressure that disputes over party nominations can place on relationships between elected officials and the party leadership.
Vatsa Resigns After 13 Years
Jonathan Tsado Vatsa’s resignation from the APC added another dimension to the party’s internal challenges ahead of the 2027 elections.
His resignation, effective October 19, ended 13 years of membership in the party.
In his letter to the APC chairman of Gulu Anguwa-Gulu Vatsa Ward in Lapai, Vatsa described his decision as personal, saying it followed consultations with family members, friends and political associates. He thanked the party but did not state a specific reason for leaving.
Vatsa was the APC’s pioneer publicity secretary in Niger State following the party’s formation in 2013.
He later served as a commissioner under former governor Abubakar Sani Bello and held advisory and communication positions under Governor Mohammed Umar Bago.
He had also repeatedly criticised Muslim-Muslim tickets at the federal and state levels and called for balance in political appointments and elective offices.
His resignation came as the APC was working to consolidate its support ahead of the 2027 elections.
His name was also absent from the publicly announced list of officials heading the party’s state campaign structure unveiled on October 14, although the announcement did not explain his exclusion or establish any link between it and his decision to leave.
Even though Vatsa did not link his departure to the party’s current political arrangements, the exit of a figure with a long history in the APC added to the developments testing its cohesion.
DAILY POST’s efforts to establish the reasons for his departure were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
APC Builds Its Campaign Structure
On October 14, the APC unveiled a 550-member Presidential and Gubernatorial Campaign Council for Niger State, comprising three committees and 17 directorates.
Former Deputy Governor Ahmed Musa Ibeto was named director-general, Tanko Beji deputy director-general and Barrister Manko Bagudu secretary.
The structure includes a Patrons Committee chaired by General Mohammed Abdullahi Garba, with Sale Bashari, also known as Makama, as vice-chairman and Dattijo Usman as secretary.
The Central Working Committee is chaired by Senator David Umaru, with Information and National Orientation Minister Mohammed Idris Malagi as vice-chairman and Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi as secretary.
The Advisory Council is headed by Ambassador Zubairu Dada, a former minister of state for foreign affairs. Former Deputy Governor Ahmed Mohammed Ketso is vice-chairman, while APC North Central National Vice-Chairman Mu’azu Bawa serves as secretary.
The 17 directorates cover finance, welfare and entertainment, media and publicity, security and intelligence, planning and research, youth mobilisation, women mobilisation, legal services, protocol and logistics, new media, special duties, labour matters, support groups, special needs, religious affairs, traditional institutions and inter-tribal relations.
The appointments bring together political figures with different backgrounds and party histories.
Beji’s elevation to deputy director-general is particularly notable because he was formerly the PDP state chairman before defecting to the APC in August.
His appointment illustrates how the ruling party is incorporating politicians who have crossed party lines into its preparations for the election.
The size and composition of the council also raise questions about coordination and the distribution of responsibilities across its many arms.
With three committees and 17 directorates, the structure provides room for several interests and areas of campaign work.
Its effectiveness, however, will depend on how the appointees coordinate their activities and mobilise voters beyond the formal announcement of appointments.
The council’s formation follows months of disagreements over the APC primaries, defections and reconciliation efforts.
However, some appointees, DAILY POST learnt, reportedly said they learnt of their appointments through friends and online announcements rather than direct communication, raising questions about how the party is managing engagement with those expected to serve in its campaign structure.
At the national level, Bago was named North Central Zonal Coordinator of the APC Presidential Campaign Council. President Tinubu leads the national structure, with Vice President Kashim Shettima as first vice-chairman, APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda as second vice-chairman and Senator Abdulaziz Yari as director-general.
Opposition Parties Raise Campaign Complaints
While the APC has been organising its campaign structure, opposition parties have raised concerns over the treatment of their campaign materials.
In September, reports emerged that the Bida Local Government chairman, Usman Mohammed Manko, had directed the removal of opposition campaign billboards.
One affected billboard reportedly belonged to the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, senatorial candidate Muhammed Rabiu Sadiq.
The media team of ADC federal constituency candidate Muhammad Abubakar Abacon also questioned the removal of a billboard around the St John area of Bida, asking whether the action arose from planning and approval issues or a local government rule.
ADC’s Niger State chairman, Hassan Musa, later alleged on October 10 that the party had obtained approval for a billboard in Paiko, Paikoro Local Government Area, but was prevented from installing it.
Nami also alleged that Bago ordered the removal of his posters and banners after he criticised the administration, while NDC governorship candidate Yahaya Mohammed Adam alleged intimidation and destruction of campaign materials.
The APC, meanwhile, has complained that its own campaign materials were vandalised by aggrieved members and supporters.
The competing claims show that disputes over campaign activities have become another point of tension as parties seek to establish visibility ahead of the election.
A Contest Beyond Party Labels
The developments in Niger State show a political landscape shaped by more than the traditional contest between the ruling party and its main challengers.
The APC is trying to consolidate its elected officials, former appointees and grassroots supporters, while the PDP and SDP are positioning candidates who emerged from the fallout over the ruling party’s primaries.
The ADC has attracted former APC officials and dissatisfied members, while Beji’s defection in the opposite direction demonstrates that political movement is not confined to the ruling party losing members.
The parties are therefore competing not only for candidates but also for the networks, local influence and campaign structures that politicians bring with them.
APC’s campaign council gives the party a formal structure for organising its preparations, but the number of appointments alone will not settle the disagreements that followed the primaries.
Nami’s PDP candidacy, Ndarani’s SDP platform, Vatsa’s resignation and the earlier defections have all created new political relationships that the parties must now navigate.
For the opposition, the task is to turn dissatisfaction with the APC into organised political support. For the ruling party, it is to maintain its existing base while persuading aggrieved members to remain engaged and defending its record on governance, security, public spending and development.
The next phase of the contest will show how these competing efforts take shape as the parties move from internal negotiations and appointments to sustained engagement with voters across Niger State.
2027: Opposition forces regroup in Niger as Bago’s APC battles internal cracks