How Buhari’s legacy handed Yusuf APC ticket before primaries

Yusuf Buhari, son of late former President Muhammadu Buhari, secured the All Progressives Congress ticket for the Daura/Sandamu/Mai’adua Federal Constituency before a formal primary was conducted, with party insiders describing the seamless process as a political inheritance shaped by the enduring influence of his father’s name.

The outcome was sealed at a stakeholders’ meeting held in Katsina on Tuesday, April 28, where Yusuf was unanimously adopted as the consensus candidate. Alhaji Ahmed Dangiwa, former Minister of Housing and Urban Development and Chairman of the Daura Zone Consensus Committee, formally announced the decision, conveying the collective position of party leaders and stakeholders across the constituency.

According to insiders, the decision to adopt Yusuf unopposed was driven by a deliberate effort to preserve unity and avoid divisive primaries in a politically sensitive zone. Party leaders at the meeting openly acknowledged that his candidacy draws heavily from the reservoir of trust built by his father over decades of public service, with the Buhari name remaining a powerful mobilising force in Daura and the wider Katsina political landscape.

Mannir Musa, APC Chairman in Mai’adua Local Government Area, urged party members to accept the consensus outcome in good faith. “I urge all our people to accept the consensus reached by the committee and stakeholders in good faith. We should work together for the unity and progress of the party and our people,” he said, reflecting a broader push to consolidate support ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Musa also called on Governor Dikko Radda to accommodate aspirants who stepped down or lost out in the consensus process within the party structure, a move considered critical to maintaining internal balance.

The Katsina stakeholders’ meeting produced additional consensus candidates beyond Yusuf Buhari’s adoption, including Nasir Yahaya for the Daura senatorial race and Mustapha Musa for the Mai’adua seat in the Katsina State House of Assembly — an outcome that points to a carefully coordinated political strategy aimed at presenting a united front at multiple levels ahead of the elections.

In his acceptance remarks, Yusuf expressed gratitude to party leaders for the confidence reposed in him and pledged to deliver quality representation if elected. Yet the broader narrative surrounding his emergence remains anchored not on personal political capital, but on legacy — the speed and unanimity with which he secured the ticket underscoring how deeply his father’s influence continues to shape political alignments in Katsina, even after his death.

In Daura, where Muhammadu Buhari’s hold on the political structure was once described as near-institutional, the transition from father to son appears to have been executed with minimal friction, with stakeholders choosing continuity over competition and banking on the symbolic weight of a name that remains, for now, one of the most enduring political brands in northern Nigeria.