Kebbi Governor Replaces Deputy As 2027 Running Mate

Kebbi State Governor Nasir Idris has replaced Deputy Governor Umar Tafida as his expected 2027 running mate, choosing former finance commissioner Ibrahim Augie for the ticket.

The decision is a new turn in the Kebbi governorship line-up, coming a day after the state party structure settled on Augie as the governor's preferred partner for the next election.

Premium Times reported that the All Progressives Congress presented the change as a response to legal issues linked to the 2023 election. The report also said an aide to Tafida disputed the claim that the deputy governor had been consulted and had consented to the replacement.

Punch reported that the announcement was made in Birnin Kebbi by APC National Organising Secretary Suleiman Argungu at a gathering of political and traditional stakeholders from the Argungu Emirate.

The party said its decision followed legal advice. The competing accounts over Tafida's consent mean the political handling of the replacement may remain a point of argument within the state APC.

Sources: Premium Times, Punch