Former Minister of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar has denied reports suggesting he criticized President Bola Tinubu, saying portions of a Hausa-language interview he gave were misrepresented and taken out of context as political tensions within the APC in Bauchi State intensified ahead of the 2027 gubernatorial race.

In a statement, Tuggar said his remarks during the interview focused exclusively on concerns about internal party democracy and candidate selection processes within the APC in Bauchi State, not on the president or his administration. He said any suggestion that he had criticized or questioned the president was false and a deliberate distortion of his comments.

At the centre of the controversy is an apparent disagreement over how the ruling party should manage its governorship nomination process in Bauchi State. Tuggar expressed reservations about what he described as attempts by Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, the Coordinating Minister of Health, to influence the emergence of the APC’s governorship candidate rather than allowing aspirants to contest openly before party delegates.

He argued that the strength and future of the APC depended on transparent, competitive, and credible internal elections, and said every aspirant should have an equal opportunity to seek the support of party delegates without interference. He also pointed to President Tinubu’s directive requiring political appointees seeking elective office to resign within the stipulated period, saying any individual interested in contesting remained free to comply with that directive and pursue their ambitions through established procedures.

Tuggar said his intervention was motivated by a desire to strengthen rather than divide the APC, and warned that unresolved grievances and perceptions of unfairness could undermine party cohesion. He called on the national leadership to address concerns raised by stakeholders and reinforce the principles of justice, inclusion, and internal democracy.