Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State has refuted claims circulating on social media that he intends to leave the All Progressives Congress (APC) to join a coalition of opposition leaders spearheaded by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
Reports from a newspaper publishing company indicate that a widely shared message suggested that Governor Buni, along with four other APC governors, had made arrangements to switch to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in preparation for the 2027 general elections. The five governors mentioned in these reports include Inuwa Yahaya (Gombe), Nasiru Idris (Kebbi), Hyacinth Alia (Benue), Umaru Bago (Niger), and Mai Mala Buni (Yobe).
In response to these allegations, Mr. Mamman Muhammad, the Director General of Press and Media Affairs to the Governor, labeled the reports as “groundless fabrications, unfounded imaginations, and assumptions that have no basis in reality.” He emphasized that the authors of the viral messages have never been close enough to the governor to accurately predict or speculate on his political decisions.
“It is a significant disservice and a poor political strategy for these individuals to think they can generate support for Atiku Abubakar’s ambitions through such baseless claims and unfounded assumptions,” Muhammad stated. “They are merely chasing shadows, revealing their ignorance like a beacon in the night.”
He further asserted, “Governor Buni is not merely an APC governor; he fully embodies the spirit of the APC, with the party’s principles deeply ingrained in him. His extensive contributions to the party—as a two-term National Secretary, National Chairman, and Chair of the Party’s Convention Committee—establish him as a key figure whose loyalty is beyond question.” He concluded by remarking, “Those spreading these rumors and their backers should simply acknowledge Governor Buni’s political wisdom and wish they had someone of his caliber. It is nothing but wishful thinking.