By Nathan Azubuike, Yola
An aspirant in the recently concluded governorship primary election of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Adamawa State, Salihu Bakari, has protested the omission of his name from the list of cleared candidates for the exercise held on May 21, 2026.
Bakari, in a statement issued on Friday, said he lawfully purchased the party’s governorship nomination form and participated fully in the screening exercise conducted by the party in accordance with established procedures.
He expressed shock that his name was completely omitted from the final list released by the primary election committee without any official explanation.
According to him, he was neither informed of any disqualification nor notified of any adverse findings arising from the screening process. He further stated that he was not invited before the party’s post-screening Appeal Committee at any stage.
Bakari pointed out that while some aspirants who did not scale through the screening were clearly designated as “Not Cleared” on the published list, his own name was entirely absent despite completing all required processes.
He described the development as a violation of the Nigerian Constitution, the Electoral Act, as well as the guidelines of the APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The aspirant has therefore appealed to the National Chairman of the APC, through the Adamawa State Appeal Committee, to investigate the circumstances surrounding his omission, restore his name on a revised list of cleared aspirants, and order a fresh governorship primary election in the state.
Bakari reaffirmed his loyalty to the APC and expressed confidence in the party leadership to uphold justice, fairness and due process.