PRP Bauchi Governorship Candidate Demands Evidence Over Allegations
Senator Shehu Buba, the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) governorship candidate in Bauchi State, has denied allegations linking him to bandit kingpins and the sponsorship of banditry.
Buba, who represents Bauchi South Senatorial District, said videos circulating on social media had been manipulated and taken out of context to create a false impression about his relationship with individuals accused of criminal activities.
Senator Rejects Allegations
In a statement issued in Abuja, Buba said the allegations were part of what he described as a sustained campaign of misinformation against him.
He said he had neither sponsored bandits nor hosted bandit kingpins at his residence.
The senator also challenged journalists and members of the public to verify the origins of the videos before drawing conclusions from them.
Multiple Nigerian media outlets have reported Buba’s denial, with TheCable reporting that he said some of the videos had been edited, combined and redistributed with misleading captions.
Claim of Manipulated Videos
Buba said a fact-check of the circulating material showed that footage from different occasions had been combined to create a misleading narrative.
According to his account, one of the clips involved people who visited his residence in 2023 after returning from Hajj, while another showed different individuals.
He maintained that the people shown in the separate videos were not the same group being portrayed online.
Political Context
The controversy comes as Buba campaigns for the Bauchi governorship election on the platform of the PRP.
He suggested that the allegations had intensified after his emergence as the party’s governorship candidate.
Buba said political disagreements should not be allowed to turn into the circulation of manipulated material or unverified allegations.
Buba’s Previous Security Role
The senator previously chaired the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence.
He said his work in that capacity involved intelligence oversight, security policy and engagement with communities affected by insecurity.
He argued that some aspects of his work could not be discussed publicly because revealing sensitive operational information could potentially endanger individuals or undermine security efforts.
What We Know
Buba has denied sponsoring banditry and has rejected the authenticity or interpretation of videos being used against him.
The allegations circulating online remain allegations unless independently established with credible evidence.
The existence of a viral video alone does not establish criminal responsibility, and any claims of sponsorship would require evidence capable of being independently verified.