The governorship candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement in Adamawa State, Abdurahman Haske, has accused the All Progressives Congress of failing to genuinely reconcile its factions after the party’s controversial governorship primary.
Haske, who defected from the APC to the APM after losing the party’s ticket, said claims that he repeatedly rejected invitations to reconciliation meetings were misleading.
Speaking on TVC’s Politics on Sunday, the former APC governorship aspirant said he had no personal quarrel with the party but argued that its approach to resolving the crisis was fundamentally flawed.
“What I think the party failed to understand is that it is more like a political reconciliation rather than a military approach,” Haske said.
He said while he had enjoyed cordial relationships with national APC leaders, including President Bola Tinubu, the situation at the state level was different.
According to him, some Adamawa APC leaders operated with the mindset that political actors were either “with us or out of it.”
Haske said the crisis became more pronounced shortly before the governorship primary when the aspirants met with Governor Ahmadu Fintiri.
He claimed that the governor had assured them that the primary would be free and fair, with all aspirants allowed to mobilise supporters and compete.
However, Haske said the events on the day of the primary did not correspond with what had been discussed.
He also rejected claims that he refused to participate in reconciliation efforts after the election.
“There is always room for reconciliation, and you can see we are still with the party almost three months after the primaries. They gave room for reconciliation,” he said.
Haske, however, said meetings involving some of his political leaders and stakeholders later turned into “another set of drama.”
Asked whether his defection could have been avoided if there had been a genuine reconciliation process, he replied, “Most definitely, if there was genuine reconciliation. There was no reconciliation.”
The APM candidate accused some APC officials and political actors of publicly insulting their opponents instead of negotiating with them.
He argued that such an approach was not capable of resolving the divisions created by the primary.
Haske also took aim at politicians who describe themselves as established figures in Adamawa politics, questioning their electoral records.
“What is political experience? What is an establishment if you have never won an election?” he asked.
He said political influence should be measured by the ability to win elections rather than by claims of belonging to an established political bloc.
On the role of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, in the APC primary, Haske declined to accuse him of influencing the emergence of the eventual winner, Ahmed Sijjani Galadima.
Haske described Ribadu as a father figure and said he could not accuse him of manipulating the primary.
“I cannot comment on the National Security Adviser or accuse my father,” he said.
He added that Ribadu was not physically present during the primary and that he was unsure whether the NSA had influenced the process.
Instead, Haske blamed the absence of meaningful consensus-building among the party’s various factions for the crisis.
He said there was no serious effort by the party’s elders and stakeholders to bring all the aspirants together and negotiate a consensus candidate.
According to him, some party actors instead boasted about their access to power in Abuja and their ability to determine who would emerge as the party’s candidate.
Haske also reiterated his allegations concerning the conduct of the primary, claiming that there was no transparent collation process and that he did not see the party’s electoral officials at the venue.
He has since moved to the APM, where he secured the governorship ticket for the 2027 election.
Defending his decision to contest under the relatively less established platform, Haske said political structures were built around people rather than party offices.
“Structures are built around people. If you have good people around you, you have a good team, you have a structure,” he said.
He said the APM would rely on its candidates, supporters and voters rather than the size of its existing political structure.
Haske also said his campaign would focus heavily on young people, whom he described as a major demographic in Adamawa State.
He said his proposed “Adamawa First Agenda” was developed through research and needs assessment and would focus on addressing the challenges confronting residents.
The APM candidate maintained that his decision to leave the APC was not merely a reaction to losing the party’s ticket, but a decision to seek another platform through which he could pursue his political ambition.
He challenged the electorate to decide between the competing political forces in the 2027 governorship election.
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