Fresh scandal has erupted ahead of Monday’s All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries in Adamawa State after a purported list containing the names of “pre-selected” Senate and House of Representatives candidates surfaced online, further fueling allegations that the exercise has already been hijacked by powerful interests in Abuja.
The leaked document, which has now sparked outrage among party members and aspirants, contains the names of candidates allegedly penciled down as winners even before delegates cast a single vote.
On the controversial Senate list, Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri was named as the supposed candidate for Adamawa North Senatorial District, while Felix Tangwami reportedly emerged as the “favoured” candidate for Adamawa South. 
Curiously, no name was attached to the Adamawa Central Senatorial District slot.
Sources familiar with the backdoor negotiations revealed that the fate of the central ticket would be determined late Sunday night depending on the outcome of the governorship ticket arrangements and ongoing power calculations among party heavyweights.
The development has reinforced growing fears among APC stakeholders that the entire primary process has been reduced to a mere formality, with candidates allegedly handpicked in Abuja long before the scheduled exercise.
Several aggrieved aspirants and party loyalists had earlier accused APC leaders of imposing candidates and manipulating internal democratic processes in the state.
The media had in previous reports detailed complaints by party members over alleged intimidation, secret meetings, delegate list doctoring and attempts by political godfathers to foist preferred candidates on the party.
The emergence of Felix Tangwami on the controversial list has particularly angered supporters of other high-profile aspirants from Adamawa South, believed to enjoy stronger grassroots support within the party.
Among those reportedly affected is former senator Grace Bent, a prominent APC chieftain who was recently nominated by President Bola Tinubu as an ambassador.
In March, Tinubu approved the appointment of 31 career and 34 non-career ambassadors to various countries and the United Nations, with Bent posted to Lome, Togo.
However, in April, Bent collected her nomination and expression of interest forms under the APC to contest the Adamawa South senatorial seat, raising indications that she may have opted to pursue her political ambition instead of taking up the diplomatic posting.
Party members loyal to Bent described her omission from the alleged “Abuja arrangement” as shocking, insisting that she remained one of the most visible and widely accepted aspirants in the southern zone.
Some party insiders argued that despite her longstanding political structure and influence in Adamawa South, Bent was allegedly sacrificed in the ongoing power-sharing calculations among top APC figures, further deepening accusations that loyalty to certain political blocs, rather than popularity or delegate support, now determines who gets party tickets.
Party insiders warned that the emergence of the latest “Abuja list” could trigger fresh rebellion within the APC in Adamawa, with many aspirants threatening legal action and mass protest if the primaries turn out to be a scripted exercise.
“This is no longer a primary election; it is selection from Abuja,” one furious aspirant revealed.
As tension mounts across the state, many party faithful fear that the alleged manipulation may deepen divisions within the APC ahead of the next general election.
