The All Progressives Congress (APC) has suffered a devastating political blow in Bauchi State following the sudden defection of two of its sitting senators, Senator Shehu Buba Umar (Bauchi South) and Senator Sama’ila Dahuwa (Bauchi North), to the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP). 

The high-profile exits have sent shockwaves through the state’s political landscape, severely fracturing the main opposition party ahead of the upcoming general elections.

The lawmakers’ decision to abandon the broom symbol comes on the heels of deep internal rancor generated by the recent APC governorship primary election.

Tensions reached a boiling point after the party officially declared former Governor Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar as its gubernatorial candidate. Abubakar, who ruled the state from 2015 to 2019 before losing his re-election bid, clinched the ticket in a landslide victory, defeating heavyweights like former Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar and former NNPC executive Bala Wunti.

However, the outcome has triggered a massive rebellion within the ranks. Senators Umar and Dahuwa, alongside their thousands of loyal supporters, strongly rejected Abubakar’s emergence, labeling the process as flawed and polarizing. Insiders reveal that the lawmakers viewed the choice of the former governor as a backward step that disregarded the current political dynamics of the state and undermined internal democracy within the Bauchi APC.

In a coordinated move, the two senators formalized their entry into the PRP, a party historically rooted in northern progressive politics. Speaking on behalf of the defectors, political aides indicated that the PRP offers a more democratic, stable, and ideologically grounded platform to pursue their political destinies and genuinely serve the people of Bauchi State without the baggage of imposition and internal friction.

With this double defection, the APC’s structural hold on Bauchi’s federal legislative seats has been heavily depleted, tipping the scales of influence in the upper chamber of the National Assembly. Political analysts note that this development not only weakens the APC’s chances of reclaiming the Bauchi Government House from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) but also positions the PRP as a potent third force capable of disrupting the traditional two-party dominance in the state.