Bauchi Lawmaker Withdraws From 2027 Assembly Race

Yusuf Abdullahi Itas, the Bauchi State House of Assembly member popularly known as Mai Yadi, has withdrawn from the 2027 election for the Itas/Gadau constituency.

Itas announced the decision in a letter dated October 5, 2026, addressed to the Bauchi State chairman of the Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM), the party under which he had been nominated.

He did not give a specific reason for stepping away. In the letter, he described the decision as “entirely voluntary and personal.”

He will not seek another term

Itas is the incumbent representative for Itas/Gadau and currently chairs the House Committee on Petitions. He is also deputy chairman of the Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.

His withdrawal means the APM will need another candidate for the constituency in the 2027 election.

In his letter, Itas thanked the party leadership for the opportunity to represent it and also acknowledged the support he received from people in Itas/Gadau during his time in office.

He did not indicate that he was leaving the party altogether. The announcement, as presented in the letter, concerns his withdrawal from the Assembly race.

Another Bauchi lawmaker has also stepped aside

Itas' decision comes shortly after another member of the Bauchi State House of Assembly, Musa Wakili Nakwada, also announced that he would not contest the 2027 election.

Nakwada, the House Chief Whip, became the first of the two lawmakers to announce his withdrawal.

Two lawmakers stepping away within a few weeks will attract attention as parties prepare for the 2027 elections, but there is not enough information yet to say the decisions point to a wider political shift in Bauchi.

For now, Itas has given only one explanation for his own decision: it was personal and voluntary.

The next issue is who the APM chooses to replace him and how that changes the contest for the Itas/Gadau seat.