A bitter political war appears to be brewing between Kebbi State Governor, Nasir Idris, and his deputy, Umar Abubakar-Tafida, following the governor’s decision to replace his deputy with a former Commissioner for Finance, Ibrahim Muhammad Augie, as his running mate for the 2027 governorship election.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) National Organising Secretary, Suleiman Muhammad Argungu, announced Augie as Governor Idris’ running mate on Sunday at the Presidential Lodge in Birnin Kebbi during a visit by stakeholders from the Argungu Emirate.
The development has sparked tension within the Kebbi State chapter of the APC ahead of the 2027 election, placing Governor Idris, Tafida and Augie at the centre of a fresh political controversy.
According to Argungu, the decision followed professional legal advice on Tafida’s eligibility to remain on the governor’s ticket for the 2027 election.
He explained that the party had considered the legal issues arising from the 2023 governorship election before settling on Augie as Idris’ new running mate.
Argungu also claimed that the decision was made with Tafida’s knowledge and consent, insisting that there was no disagreement between the governor and his deputy.
However, the circumstances surrounding Tafida’s replacement have since become a subject of controversy after his aide, Yahaya Danjadda, disputed the claim that the deputy governor had been consulted before Augie was presented as the new running mate.
Danjadda, the Senior Special Assistant to the Deputy Governor on New Media, said Tafida was not consulted before the announcement, describing the contrary claim as an attempt to tarnish his principal’s image.
Amid the conflicting claims, the million-dollar question on the minds of political watchers is whether Tafida actually consented to being removed from Governor Idris’ 2027 ticket.
