Few days ago, Governor Nasir Idris of Kebbi State dropped his deputy, Senator Umar Abubakar Tafida and picked a new running mate, Ibrahim Muhammed Augie, a former commissioner for finance, ahead of the 2027 governorship election in the state.

The move for the replacement of the deputy governor had been on for some times now as there were speculations making the rounds that some personalities such as Samaila Biu, Ibrahim Muhammed Augie and a host of others were being considered as possible replacement for the deputy governor slot.

However, the national publicity secretary of the APC, Muhammed Suleiman Argungu confirmed the speculation at a stakeholders’ meeting of the APC held at the presidential lodge in Birnin Kebbi.

He explained that the deputy governor was dropped as the running mate to Governor Nasir Idris for the 2027 general election based on professional legal advice.

He announced Ibrahim Muhammed Augie, at the party’s gathering, as the new running mate to Governor Idris for the 2027 governorship election.

He maintained that the deputy governor gave his consent and understanding to his replacement with Ibrahim Muhammed Augie as new running mate to Governor Idris.

The national publicity secretary of the APC said, “There is no disagreement between the governor and the deputy governor. I urge all APC supporters across the state to remain united and work collectively for the success of the APC in the 2027 general elections in Kebbi State”.

Governor Idris also spoke in line with the submission of the APC national publicity secretary.

While thanking the people of the Argungu Emirate where the replaced deputy governor comes from for their continued support and cooperation with his administration, he reiterated that there was no disagreement between him and Senator Tafida, his deputy.

“The decision to make the change was necessitated by legal considerations and was made with the Deputy Governor’s understanding and consent”, the governor also said.

Though the governor and the national publicity secretary of the APC did not give details of the legal advice given to the party which made it mandatory for Governor Idris to drop his deputy, political analysts have attributed it to the legal battle which the duo faced immediately after the 2023 general elections at the tribunal up to the supreme Court over the certificate issue of the deputy governor.

Our correspondent recalls how the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its governorship candidate Major General Aminu Bande (rtd) had in 2023 gone to the tribunal to prove that the testimonial that was submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in 2015 by the Deputy Governor of Kebbi State Senator Abubakar Umar Tafida was fake.

With the turn of events in the Governorship Election Tribunal sitting in Birin Kebbi, the state capital, they went a step further by bringing some witnesses to testify against the incumbent Deputy Governor.

The PDP and its candidate brought in the Permanent Secretary, Sokoto State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Schools Education as well as Director of Exams via tribunal subpoena to tender documents to prove attendance of the Kebbi State Deputy Governor, Senator Abubakar Umar Tafida in the mock examination of the Sultan Abubakar Teachers College.

A member of the party who does not want his name in print said Abubakar Malami, who is currently the governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC)) in Kebbi State, was instrumental in the APC winning the legal battle against the PDP on the certificate issue of the deputy governor.

He said the “governor and the APC are smart to know that the opposition might want to cash in on the issue again to block the chances of the present governor in the coming elections and have acted in time to avert it by dropping the deputy governor”.

A chieftain of the party, Alhaji Ahmed Sanusi in Birnin kebbi told our correspondent that there are indications that Malami might be planning to approach the court to institute suit against the joint ticket of Governor Nasir Idris and Umar Tafida.

He said the Supreme Court had earlier ruled against the PDP that the matter they brought before it was a pre-election matter but “if Governor Idris went to into the election with his deputy they might run into trouble.”

“It’s good our governor heeded the legal advice to avoid trouble the opposition may bring again”, he added.

He noted that though some people are trying to raise issues about the deputy governor’s replacement but there was clear understanding between the governor, his deputy and the state APC on the need for the governor to go into the election with another running mate.

Daily Trust reports that litigation on candidate qualification can only be entertained as pre-election petitions based on the Electoral Act, 2026.

Section 138(1) of the Act states that “an election may only be questioned on two specific grounds: if it was invalid due to corrupt practices or non-compliance with the Electoral Act, or if the respondent was not duly elected by a majority of lawful votes cast.”

The section conspicuously omits candidate “qualification”—which includes allegations of certificate forgery, perjury, or age falsification—as a valid ground for a post-election petition. (Daily Trust)