Late President Muhammadu Buhari's son, Yusuf Buhari, has been endorsed by a faction of All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholders in Katsina State for the Daura/Sandamu/Mai'adua Federal Constituency seat in the 2027 elections. The endorsement came after a meeting in Sandamu Local Government Area, where council chairman Usman Na Lado declared it a collective decision aimed at boosting the party's electoral strength. Lado cited Yusuf Buhari's perceived capacity and acceptance among party members as key factors, while also naming President Bola Tinubu and Governor Dikko Umar Radda as the party's flag bearers for the 2027 presidential and gubernatorial races. He added that Speaker Nasiru Yahaya Daura was backed for the Daura Senatorial seat.
However, a rival group of APC stakeholders from five local government areas in the Daura Emirate rejected the move, accusing certain officeholders of attempting to impose candidates. Barrister Usman Ahmed El-Marzuk, chairman of the counter-meeting, denied that Governor Radda had endorsed any candidate, calling such claims false and damaging. He stressed that the APC constitution allows for consensus or open contest, and warned that unilateral actions could分裂 the party. Daura Local Government Chairman Hon. Bala Musa Daura and Governor Radda's Special Adviser on Political Matters, Yau Umar Gwajo-Gwajo, echoed the denial, confirming the governor had issued no directives on candidate selection.
Endorsing Yusuf Buhari while denying gubernatorial involvement exposes the APC's internal confusion in Katsina. When senior party figures like Usman Ahmed El-Marzuk have to publicly demand a colleague retract statements or resign, it signals erosion of internal discipline. This rift, playing out under the shadow of a former president's legacy, risks weakening APC's cohesion ahead of 2027. For voters in Daura, the spectacle offers more drama than clarity on who truly controls candidate selection.
