Pressure mounts on Bodejo to quit Taraba central ambition after DSS arrest

By Godwin Agia, Jalingo

The pressure is mounting on All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial aspirant, Alhaji Abdullahi Bello Bodejo to withdraw from the Taraba Central race, 48 hours after his arrest and detention by the Department of State Services in Jalingo.
Bodejo, the National President of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore Socio-Cultural Association, was picked up by DSS officials in Jalingo on May 7, 2026, and flown to Abuja overnight, are was later handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, where he remained in custody as of the time of filing this report.
Sources say EFCC officials approached Bodejo during his detention and advised him to step down from the 2027 senatorial contest and shelve his ambition until 2031 as condition for his release.
Our correspondent reports that the development has sparked outrage among his campaign team. Campaign Director General Alhaji Adamu Isa condemned the arrest and treatment of the aspirant, stressed that, Bodejo was humiliated and flown to Abuja like a common criminal in the presence of his teeming supporters.
Isa said Bodejo, a strong APC member, had mobilized resources and connections to support President Bola Tinubu’s 2023 election bid.
He argued that if party leaders were uncomfortable with Bodejo’s candidacy, they should have invited him for dialogue instead of using security agents.
“If some people are not comfortable with the senatorial contest of Bodejo, they could have invited him to a dialogue rather than using security agents to intimidate and harass him,” Isa stated.
He stressed that Bodejo remains a peace-loving Nigerian with the right to decide whether to withdraw, but insisted that any such decision must follow genuine dialogue with all parties.
According to him, the APC consensus committee in Taraba never contacted Bodejo before his arrest.
The campaign DG called on the APC national secretariat and key stakeholders to intervene, secure Bodejo’s release, and ensure due process is followed, but appealed to supporters to remain calm and law-abiding.
Bodejo had last week declared publicly that he did not purchase his expression of interest and nomination forms to step down for anyone, added that he was ready for a direct primary to test his popularity.
.The delegation later visited Kantanga town in Kiyawa Local Government Area, where they interacted with beneficiaries to gain firsthand insight into the impact of the programme.