The All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial candidate for Taraba North, Kabiru Bello Bandawaire, has dismissed reports claiming he has been replaced as the party’s candidate, insisting that he remains the duly nominated flag bearer and will not withdraw from the race.

Speaking on Saturday in Jalingo, Taraba State, Bandawaire said he had no intention of stepping aside for any individual, maintaining that he was validly elected and recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

He described media reports alleging that the APC had substituted his name with that of the incumbent senator, Shuibu Isa Lau, as false and misleading.

“I will not withdraw from the senatorial race to represent Taraba North Senatorial District. I am the candidate and will not step aside for any individual.

“I cannot sell out the mandate given to me by the people. I am not aware of any replacement, and the party has not communicated such a decision to me,” Bandawaire said.

The APC candidate argued that the Electoral Act provides a clear process for the substitution of candidates, stressing that a duly nominated candidate can only be replaced after voluntarily withdrawing from the contest.

According to him, he has neither indicated any intention to withdraw nor submit any letter to the party expressing such a decision.

“I do not look like someone who will withdraw from the race, and that mandate remains mine. The party must respect due process,” he said.

Bandawaire further described the alleged substitution as undemocratic, insisting that any replacement must comply with the provisions of the Electoral Act.

“I wish to inform the people of Taraba that my name has not been replaced by anyone. I remain the senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress for Taraba North,” he stated.

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Niger State and former Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Jonathan Vatsa, has urged Governor Mohammed Umar Bago to pick a Christian running mate for the 2027 governorship election, warning that the party risks losing support over what he described as the marginalisation of Christians.

Vatsa gave the warning while speaking with journalists in Minna on Saturday, arguing that the APC’s recent primary elections, in which almost all candidates emerged as Muslims, had heightened concerns among members of the Christian community.

He claimed that only one Christian secured the party’s ticket for the State House of Assembly, representing Munya Local Government Area, while all three senatorial candidates, 11 House of Representatives candidates and 26 of the 27 House of Assembly candidates are Muslims.

According to him, Christians have also been largely excluded from political appointments, citing the composition of local government leadership across the state.

The former Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism

alleged that despite Governor Bago’s public engagement with Christian groups, the pattern of appointments and candidate selection tells a different story.

“It’s not about attending church programmes, singing choruses or making donations. What matters is fairness and inclusion in appointments and elective positions,” he said.

Vatsa argued that choosing a Christian deputy governorship candidate in 2027 would help address the perceived imbalance and strengthen the APC’s chances at the polls.

“That is the only way people like us can confidently approach the Christian community to campaign for the party. If an opposition party picks a Christian deputy governor, it could attract sympathy votes,” he said.

Vatsa also maintained that the 2027 elections would be driven more by the credibility of candidates than party platforms.

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Commissioner for Information and Voter Education, Mohammed Haruna, has announced that the commission has received over N500 billion, which accounts for more than 50 percent of the budget allocated for the 2027 general elections.

During an interview with Arise News on Friday regarding election readiness and funding, Haruna expressed that the disbursement of these funds is a positive development. 

However, he also highlighted INEC’s concerns regarding outstanding debts from previous elections and the timely release of the remaining funds necessary to fully implement their plans.

He said, “Currently, we have received more than half of the allocated funds, approximately N500 billion or slightly more. This represents over 50% of the total amount.

“Naturally, there are still some issues to address. We have debts from the last general election due to insufficient funding at that time. 

“We owe contractors around six billion, and from the statutory allocation of over 140 billion for that year, we still have an outstanding amount of over 20 billion. I believe it was just this month that the first 500 billion was released, about a week or two ago.”

In response to concerns regarding delayed funding, Haruna stated that INEC has already commenced preparations for the 2027 elections, which includes plans to acquire additional BVAS devices and other essential election materials.

“Certainly, we are concerned. Everyone shares this concern. Ultimately, the funds must be available. Therefore, it is encouraging news that more than half has been released. 

“However, even prior to this, we have been engaged in extensive preparations. For example, the Director of ICT, along with another individual, traveled to China to finalize the importation of BVAS, which is crucial to our current electoral process.

“As I mentioned, in anticipation of this, we have been undertaking significant preparatory work,” Haruna emphasized.