₦airaland Forum

Former Senate Majority Leader and current Senator representing Kebbi North, Senator Yahaya Abubakar Abdullahi, has warned that the All Progressives Congress (APC) risks a humiliating defeat in the 2027 general elections unless it urgently reconnects with its grassroots and restores internal party democracy.


In a wide-ranging interview, the respected lawmaker and economist explained the real reasons behind his dramatic defection from the APC to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2022, and his eventual return to the ruling party in May 2025.

He also dissected the current political terrain, offered economic solutions, and advised the party on how to remain competitive ahead of 2027.


The Lawmaker, who now chairs the Senate Committee on National Planning and Economic Affairs, revealed that his exit from the APC was driven by what he termed “undemocratic imposition and internal injustice” orchestrated by former Kebbi State Governor, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu.

According to him, the ex-governor “hijacked the APC structure” in the state, manipulated congresses, and imposed loyalists through a sham delegate process.

“Even as Senate Majority Leader at the time, I was awarded zero votes in my own local government. It was a rogue affair,” he recounted.

Following the internal rift, Abdullahi defected to the PDP where Hon. Ibrahim Bawa Kamba stepped down his House of Representatives candidacy to accommodate him. Abdullahi went on to win the 2023 general election and had his victory upheld by the Supreme Court.


“My return to the APC was guided by principle and reconciliation. I never left out of bitterness I left to prove that the people were with me, not the imposed candidates,” he said.


The former Senate Leader issued a stern warning to the APC leadership, urging the party to return to its foundational democratic principles or face electoral disaster.

“If the party continues with top-down imposition, where governors determine delegates and candidates without the input of members, we will go the way of the PDP in 2015,” he warned.

He called on President Bola Tinubu, whom he described as “a true democrat,” to take the lead in restoring internal democracy and inclusion within the APC.

“We must allow members at ward, local government, state, and national levels to choose their leaders freely. Without that, we are courting disaster in 2027,” he stated.

Senator Abdullahi acknowledged that the APC faces credible threats from emerging alliances, particularly between former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, and the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

“The ADC exists today because many APC members have been alienated. It’s a response to our internal failures. If we don't fix this, these alliances will exploit our weakness,” he warned.

He further lamented APC’s influence in the North, citing that while the party produced 20 out of 21 senators in the Northwest in 2015, it failed to secure even half of those seats in 2023.

“The assumption that the North will always vote APC is gone. Even rural voters now engage in strategic voting,” he added.


As an economist, Senator Abdullahi highlighted key reforms needed to address Nigeria’s worsening economic hardship. He criticized prevailing interest rates of 30–35% as unsustainable for business growth.

“There is a misalignment of fiscal and monetary policies. We must target and support key sectors like agriculture and manufacturing, and ensure government intervention stimulates productivity,” he said.

On the newly created regional development commissions, he urged the government to focus on large-scale infrastructural projects and investment-led growth, not tokenistic empowerment schemes.

“They must build interlinked economies across states railways, airports, transportation, not just market stalls and boreholes,” he advised.

Senator Abdullahi decried the decay in public schools and healthcare facilities, blaming it on the collapse of governance at all levels.

“We need leaders who are sincere, not predators. The collapse of our institutions is due to corruption and incompetence,” he said.

Commenting on the Senate’s approval of President Tinubu’s $21 billion external borrowing plan for 2025–2026, he emphasized the need for strict legislative oversight.

“Borrowing isn’t the problem. It becomes a problem when funds are not tied to productive and value-yielding projects. If the government misuses the funds, we in the National Assembly must halt further disbursement,” he said.

AMINDA:
A little too late. The only way for Tinubu to avoid defeat in 2027 is to not contest.

Svoboda:
Every northern APC member plainly states the truth that southwestern APC members tries to hide. The president tribesmen always come on TV to grandstand and show hubris, whereas the more circumspect northerners always caution against the overbearing attitude of the presidents men.

Akpakomiza2:
They said the same thing in 2019 and 2023. In 2019 senator bukar Ibrahim, ndume and even Buba Galadima said APC might lose the north

LagosOrigin:
The failure in aso rock will be roundly defeated wether he likes it or not .

The failure in aso rock failed as Lagos governor and still failed as president of Nigeria . He has nothing to offer Nigerians.

onatisi:
Leave them , they should not do anything ,let them continue the way they are doing and they should keep on bragging that Tinubu is the overall political God of Naija politics ,2027 is just around the corner . Nigerians are waiting 😃😃😃

TheStranger:
Are they getting apprehensive?
Anyway Tinubu over El Rufai any day anytime