The All Progressives Congress (APC) has disqualified Kashim Musa Tumsah from the Yobe State gubernatorial primaries, which are set to take place on Monday, May 25, 2026.
Tumsah, a lawyer and diplomat, accepted the party's decision after consultations with his family, supporters, and party stakeholders. He cited nomination concerns from non-financial party members as the reason for the disqualification.
Tumsah Accepts APC Decision
In a statement issued on Thursday, May 21, 2026, in Damaturu, the state capital, Tumsah expressed sadness over the news but decided to accept the outcome in good faith. He said, “I received with extreme sadness the news that I have not been cleared by the APC screening committee due to my nomination, mostly by non-financial members of our great party.”
After due consultation with his family, supporters, and APC national and state stakeholders, he decided to accept the decision as the will of Allah, believing that Allah’s timing is always right.
Appreciation and Future Support
The gubernatorial aspirant thanked his supporters for the exciting journey and stated that the KMT movement would continue its support and interventions across communities in Yobe state. He emphasized that throughout the campaign, they demonstrated that a new kind of people-centric politics is possible.
Tumsah also urged APC members to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid and whoever emerges as the APC Yobe governorship candidate.
APC Disqualifies Other Aspirants
In a related development, the APC National Working Committee released the final list for Rivers State House of Assembly primaries, clearing 33 Wike-aligned aspirants while disqualifying 65 aspirants linked to Governor Siminalayi Fubara and Tonye Cole. The party maintained the screening committee’s earlier recommendations despite appeals from affected aspirants.
Earlier, the APC also released the names of House of Representatives aspirants disqualified from participating in its 2027 primary elections across several states. Ondo and Rivers states recorded the highest number of aspirants marked not cleared during the screening exercise. The party did not provide reasons for the disqualification of affected aspirants ahead of the National Assembly primaries.
