Automatic Ticket: ‘No Agreement Has Been Made With Fubara, Yusuf’ – Source

The chances of Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara and Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, securing second‑term governorship tickets under the All Progressives Congress (APC) remain uncertain.

Although both governors are now linked to the ruling party, Fubara via formal defection and Yusuf, expected to join soon after resigning from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), powerful internal resistance and competing political interests in Rivers and Kano have cast doubt on their re-election bids.

Multiple APC insiders, who spoke on condition of anonymity with Punch, said neither governor has been formally assured of automatic return tickets ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The sources indicated that local party stakeholders and aspirants in both states are resisting any attempt to impose the governors, stressing that transparent and competitive primaries must take place.

He added that the peculiarity of the two states was complicating negotiations around their candidacies.

Governor Fubara formally dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the APC on December 9, a move widely seen as strategic realignment designed to bolster his second‑term bid.

But the development has intensified political tension between Fubara and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, a key power broker in Rivers politics.

Wike has publicly stressed that Fubara’s return bid is not assured, even under the APC umbrella.

He has also been active in mobilising stakeholders across party lines, including leaders from both the APC and the PDP, against Fubara’s ambition.

In Kano, Governor Yusuf’s resignation from the NNPP on Friday, alongside 21 members of the State House of Assembly, eight House of Representatives members, and 44 local government chairmen, appeared to set the stage for his expected entry into the APC.

However, influential figures, including Deputy Governor, Aminu AbdulSalam and NNPP National Leader Senator, Rabiu Kwankwaso, have remained in the NNPP, signalling potential factional tensions that could affect Yusuf’s reception in the ruling party.

Inside APC corridors, party officials said ambition among governorship aspirants in Rivers and Kano has compounded uncertainties.

Some aspirants have openly vowed not to accept the imposition of any candidate, insisting that the party must adhere to open primaries.

A senior APC source described negotiations around the two governors’ return tickets as ongoing and unresolved, partly because of entrenched political interests and the complex dynamics in both states.

He said, “A major negotiation each of the then PDP governors had with us (APC leaders and the Presidency), with the approval of the President, was that their return tickets must be guaranteed. So, any governor who defects to the APC will get the ticket. It may not be automatic, but they will have their way.

“However, there are issues in Rivers and Kano states. Things are dicey; their return is tied to the stance of party leaders and other stakeholders in those states. As I speak to you, no concrete agreement has been made on Governors Fubara and Yusuf.”

Another senior APC official said while the APC Governors’ Forum was liaising with the party’s national leadership to secure return tickets for their new members, there were divisions over Fubara and Yusuf, as some were sceptical about the ability of the two governors to deliver victory for the party in their states.

He said, “The APC Governors’ Forum is a strong arm of the party. They virtually decide everything, except where the President has a vested interest. They fund campaigns and elections. They have concluded on the return tickets for their new members, but they are divided on Rivers, and nothing serious has been decided on Kano.

“The failure of the Kano governor to bring Kwankwaso to the APC is a big minus for him. Also, the former national chairman of the party, Abdullahi Ganduje, has a favoured governorship aspirant, Nasiru Gawuna, who was our candidate in the 2023 elections.

“Similarly, the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, is also a governorship aspirant. These are issues that need to be resolved before anybody can say whether Governor Yusuf will get a return ticket or not.

“On Rivers, Wike is a major force, and he has been using his networks to fight Fubara. If Fubara is to be returned, we (the APC) need to have an understanding with Wike and other Rivers stakeholders. The capacities of the two governors are being tested.”