The governorship candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) for the Bauchi State in 2027 Mohammad Abdullahi Abubakar and Senator Shehu Buba Umar and their supporters have locked horns over comments of Abubakar challenging the sources of Buba’s wealth.

Abubakar’s comments have been trending on social media with his supporters demanding the senator to explain where his fund streams come from.

Buba who represents the Bauchi South in the 10th National Assembly has written a 6-page petition, through his lawyers, against Abubakar, demanding that the Inspector-General of Police invite Abubakar for further questioning, claiming that the public statements have put the image of the lawmaker, who is seeking a governorship seat into ridicule.

“Now in the course of a recent political meeting he hosted, the suspect (Abubakar) made several seriously damaging, defamatory, injurious, libelous, and inflammatory remarks concerning our client including the statement that our client’s source of wealth with which he has been doing ‘so many things is questionable’ among other criminally offensive publications.

“It is therefore no gainsaying that the suspect’s conduct is a deliberate, calculated and malicious act of cyberstalking and cyber-defamation, designed to create false impressions against our client, and to portray him in bad light before the public more so as the 2027 general election where he is participating as a leading Governorship hopeful in Bauchi State is drawing closer,” Buba’s lawyers argued.

The lawyers urged the Police to invite Abubakar within seven days or they would approach the court.

Meanwhile, reacting to the petition, a secretary of Abubakar’s legal team, Muhammad AlKasim, said that Abubakar has just exercised his constitutional rights by demanding transparency in Buba’s funding.

“Under sections 39 and 45 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, every Nigerian has the right to express their opinion and thoughts, feelings without any interference,” he said.

According to him, he has confidence that the Police will handle the case professionally within the constitutional provisions. AlKasim urged Abubakar’s supporters to remain peaceful and calm while the complaints would receive maximum prominence during the investigation.

“The statement made by Mohammad Abdullahi Abubakar SAN, is clear, he mentioned ‘Shehu’, which must be accompanied by a second (name). One cannot claim a single name for him. Mentioning ‘Shehu’ cannot constitute defamation because the name Shehu is not specific. There are many Shehus. Why is he the one petitioning?”