Bala Jibrin Quits APC: The Questions His Resignation Letter Fails to Answer
Captain Muhammad Bala Jibrin has resigned from the All Progressives Congress (APC), accusing the party of “brazen injustice” and alleging that candidates are being imposed on Bauchi State.
He is entitled to leave.
He is entitled to disagree with the APC.
He is entitled to challenge the emergence of any candidate.
But resignation does not make an allegation a fact.
And this is where Captain Bala Jibrin’s latest political intervention leaves several important questions unanswered.
What precisely was imposed? By whom? At what stage of the electoral process? Through what mechanism? And where is the evidence?
These are not merely political questions. They are questions the people of Bauchi deserve answers to before accepting the narrative that the APC’s 2027 governorship ticket was simply handed to a preferred candidate.
PATE: THE MAN BEING BLAMED FOR A PRIMARY HE DID NOT CONDUCT
Perhaps the most striking feature of Captain Bala Jibrin’s argument is his attempt to make Professor Muhammad Ali Pate the central figure in the emergence of former Governor Muhammad Abdullahi Abubakar, popularly known as M.A. Abubakar.
But the fundamental question remains:
Did Professor Pate conduct the APC governorship primary?
No.
Was he the party’s returning officer?
No.
Did he single-handedly select the delegates?
There is no evidence presented by Captain Bala Jibrin to establish that.
Was he the official who declared the result?
Again, there is no evidence presented to support such a claim.
Then why should the outcome of an electoral process automatically be interpreted as the personal handiwork of Professor Pate simply because he was believed to support M.A. Abubakar?
That is the point at which political criticism must give way to evidence.
If Captain Bala Jibrin possesses evidence of manipulation, he should publish it.
If there were compromised delegates, identify them.
If voting figures were falsified, provide the figures.
If electoral officials were compromised, name them and produce the evidence.
If the primary was rigged, explain precisely how.
The burden is not on Professor Pate to disprove an allegation that has not been substantiated.
A SMOOTH PRIMARY OR AN “IMPOSITION”?
There is also a serious contradiction that deserves examination.
The APC primary that produced M.A. Abubakar was not conducted in a political vacuum. It was witnessed by journalists, party stakeholders and relevant actors in the electoral environment.
If Captain Bala Jibrin maintains that the process was fundamentally fraudulent, then the public deserves more than political rhetoric.
He owes Bauchi an explanation of the specific irregularities that supposedly transformed an electoral contest into an “imposition.”
Otherwise, the word “imposition” risks becoming nothing more than a political description of a result he did not like.
Losing a primary is not necessarily evidence that a primary was rigged.
That distinction is fundamental to democratic politics.
WHY IS PROFESSOR PATE BEING TARGETED?
There is another question that deserves attention.
Why has Professor Muhammad Ali Pate become such a prominent target of Captain Bala Jibrin’s political criticism?
Is it simply because Pate is perceived to support M.A. Abubakar?
If so, then Captain Bala Jibrin should make that case openly rather than disguising political disagreement as evidence of institutional injustice.
Professor Pate's public record extends far beyond the politics of Bauchi.
His career in global health and public service has earned him professional recognition outside Nigeria, and his appointment into the Federal Government placed him in a position where his responsibilities extend across the country.
Under the present administration, Bauchi State has also benefited from federal health-sector interventions and infrastructure, including projects associated with Azare and Misau, alongside broader efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery.
These achievements do not make Professor Pate politically infallible.
But they do demonstrate that his public record cannot reasonably be reduced to the question of which Bauchi politician he supports.
M.A. ABUBAKAR DOES NOT NEED PATE TO INVENT A POLITICAL RECORD FOR HIM
Captain Bala Jibrin’s argument also appears to overlook an inconvenient political fact:
M.A. Abubakar already has a political history of his own.
He was a governor of Bauchi State.
He has contested elections.
He has supporters.
And he has remained politically relevant long after leaving office.
In the 2023 governorship election, M.A. Abubakar came within roughly 15,000 votes of defeating the incumbent Governor Bala Mohammed.
Whatever one's political interpretation of that election, the result cannot honestly be used to portray M.A. Abubakar as a politician without a substantial constituency.
The election demonstrated that he remained competitive across a significant portion of the electorate.
So the suggestion that his current political relevance exists merely because Professor Pate supports him is difficult to sustain.
Pate did not create M.A. Abubakar’s political history.
He did not create his years of public service.
He did not create the constituency that voted for him.
And he certainly did not personally cast the votes that brought him close to victory in 2023.
“TRIED, TESTED AND REJECTED”? THE NUMBERS DESERVE A SECOND LOOK
Captain Bala Jibrin has previously described M.A. Abubakar as “tried, tested and rejected.”
That is a political opinion.
But the electoral record provides a more complicated picture.
A candidate who loses an election by a relatively narrow margin cannot simply be described as politically irrelevant.
Elections are decided by votes, not by declarations made at press conferences.
If M.A. Abubakar was truly rejected across Bauchi State, then how did he come within approximately 15,000 votes of defeating an incumbent governor?
That question deserves an answer.
It is entirely legitimate to criticize M.A. Abubakar’s record as governor.
It is equally legitimate to argue that another candidate is better.
But the argument should be based on verifiable performance indicators—not political labels.
AND WHAT ABOUT CAPTAIN BALA JIBRIN’S OWN RECORD?
This is where the conversation becomes uncomfortable.
Captain Bala Jibrin is asking Bauchi voters to judge other politicians.
Fair enough.
But politicians who demand accountability from others must also be prepared to open their own political records to scrutiny.
What exactly has Captain Bala Jibrin built within the APC?
What measurable contribution has he made to party organisation?
How many structures has he established?
How many members has he mobilised?
What programmes has he initiated for ordinary Bauchi citizens?
What electoral victories can he credibly associate with his political machinery?
And, perhaps most importantly:
Has his political journey consistently been about strengthening the party—or about positioning himself for higher office?
These questions are not personal attacks.
They are legitimate questions in a democracy.
If Captain Bala Jibrin wants to present himself as a better alternative, the public has every right to examine his record alongside those of the people he criticises.
THE ISA YUGUDA QUESTION
There are also unresolved questions surrounding Captain Bala Jibrin’s previous political relationships, including his association with former Bauchi Governor Isa Yuguda and the circumstances surrounding his departure from that political camp.
If there are allegations concerning how and why that relationship ended, Captain Bala Jibrin should provide his own account.
The purpose is not to revive old political disputes.
The purpose is consistency.
A politician who accuses an entire party structure of injustice should be willing to explain his own political history with the same level of transparency he demands from others.
Accountability cannot be selective.
AMBITION IS NOT A CRIME—BUT IT SHOULD NOT BE DISGUISED
There is nothing wrong with wanting to become governor.
There is nothing wrong with seeking a ministerial appointment.
There is nothing wrong with pursuing political influence.
Political ambition is part of democracy.
But when ambition becomes the explanation for every disagreement, every defeat and every political setback, the public is entitled to ask whether the real problem is the system—or the inability to secure the desired position within it.
Captain Bala Jibrin should therefore tell Bauchi people plainly:
What does he actually want?
Is his disagreement with the APC about principles?
Is it about the party's candidate?
Is it about Professor Pate?
Or is it ultimately about his own political future?
The people deserve an honest answer.
PATE DID NOT NEED TO BEG FOR RELEVANCE
Professor Pate's supporters can also reasonably point to another distinction.
Pate built his professional career before returning to the centre of Nigerian political power.
He did not need Bauchi politics to establish his professional reputation.
He did not need a governorship ticket to become internationally recognised.
And his professional record existed long before the current political contest over the 2027 Bauchi governorship.
Therefore, attempts to portray his political involvement as nothing more than a personal quest for influence require evidence.
If Captain Bala Jibrin believes Pate has acted improperly, he should produce the evidence.
Names. Dates. Documents. Decisions. Transactions.
Not insinuations.
THE DEFECTION FIGURES ALSO CHANGE THE POLITICAL EQUATION
Another development that cannot be ignored is the reported movement of a very large number of politicians and supporters into the APC in Bauchi State, with party officials putting the figure at more than 150,000 new members.
Whether every figure can withstand independent verification is a separate question.
But the political significance is obvious.
A party experiencing such a major expansion cannot simply be dismissed as a political organisation without grassroots relevance.
The real question for Captain Bala Jibrin is therefore not why people are leaving the APC.
It is:
Why are large numbers of people reportedly moving into it?
That question deserves the same scrutiny he is demanding of the party.
BAUCHI DOES NOT NEED POLITICAL MYTHS
The people of Bauchi have heard enough political accusations.
They need evidence.
They need competing records.
They need measurable achievements.
They need to know who can govern, who can unite the state, who understands the economy, who can attract investment and who can deliver healthcare, education, infrastructure and jobs.
The 2027 election should therefore not become a referendum on who shouted the loudest about “imposition.”
It should become a referendum on competence, credibility, performance and character.
Captain Bala Jibrin has made his decision.
He has left the APC.
That is his right.
But having left, he should now be prepared to explain his own political record with the same intensity with which he interrogates the records of others.
And if he believes M.A. Abubakar is inferior to him, there is a simple way to settle the argument:
Let both men put their records on the table.
Let Bauchi examine their years of public service.
Let the people compare their achievements.
Let the electorate examine their failures.
Let their political structures be measured.
Let their leadership capacity be tested.
Let their vision for Bauchi be debated publicly.
And then let the people decide.
Because in the final analysis, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate will not decide the 2027 election. Captain Bala Jibrin will not decide it. M.A. Abubakar will not decide it. Neither will Governor Bala Mohammed.
The people of Bauchi State will decide.
And when they do, political accusations will matter far less than the evidence they can see for themselves.