Plateau APC primaries rocked by intrigues, upsets, violence, alignments

 

…As 17 NASS aspirants, governorship contender reject primaries

 

The All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries in Plateau State have exposed deep political intrigues, shifting alliances, dramatic reversals and growing tensions ahead of the 2027 general elections.

From controversial declarations and delayed exercises to the fall of serving lawmakers and the build-up to a fierce governorship contest, the APC primaries have reshaped political calculations across the state.

The exercise produced major upsets as four serving members of the House of Representatives and two senators lost their re-election bids during the party’s National Assembly primaries.

Announcing the results in Jos on Tuesday night, Stella Okotete, chairman of the APC Senate and House of Representatives Primary Election Committee, described the exercise as peaceful, transparent and conducted according to party guidelines.

She declared Beni Lar winner of the Langtang North/Langtang South Federal Constituency ticket, while Yusuf Adamu Gagdi emerged victorious for Pankshin/Kanke/Kanam Federal Constituency.

Other winners announced include Jeo Dashe for Mikang/Shendam/Qua’an Pan Federal Constituency, Musa Dachung Bagos for Jos South/Jos East Federal Constituency, Abubakar Sadiq Plaza for Jos North/Bassa Federal Constituency, Ishaya Lalu for Mangu/Bokkos Federal Constituency, Idris Maje for Wase Federal Constituency and Dalyop Chollom, Barkin Ladi/Riyom federal constituency.

The senatorial contests also produced dramatic outcomes as Simon Mwadkwon, Bitrus Bako Barji and Simon Bako Lalong clinched the party’s tickets for Plateau North, Plateau Central and Plateau South respectively.

The outcome effectively ended the return ambitions of serving senators Diket Plang and Pam Dachung, signalling a significant political shake-up within the APC structure in Plateau State.

Reversals deepen confusion within Plateau APC

Despite the official declarations, controversy erupted in the Pankshin/Kanke/Kanam Federal Constituency following multiple announcements by rival officials.

Earlier, Monday Daspan had declared John Tongshinen winner of the PKK House of Representatives primary after announcing that he polled 29,968 votes against Yusuf Gagdi’s 5,849 votes.

“By the powers conferred on me as the chairman of this committee, I hereby declare Dr John Tongshinen as the winner,” Daspan had announced.

However, the APC leadership later reversed the declaration and confirmed Yusuf Gagdi as the authentic winner of the primary election.

Okotete dismissed claims that no election was conducted in PKK due to late arrival of materials.

“There was no election in PKK because of the late arrival of materials only exists in the imagination of those making such allegations,” she said.

According to her, only duly authorised returning officers had powers to announce election results, warning that impersonators could face legal consequences.

Gagdi also acknowledged the confusion surrounding the process, saying the party issued three different announcements before eventually validating the declaration made by the recognised returning officer.

Governorship contest raises Political tension statewide

As controversies from the National Assembly primaries persisted, attention shifted to the APC governorship primary scheduled for Thursday.

Governor Caleb Mutfwang and Yilchini Jan Bida, a retired Naval officer emerged as central figures in what observers described as one of the fiercest governorship battles within the party in recent years.

Tension heightened further after rumours surfaced alleging that Yilchini had withdrawn from the race in support of the governor.

The aspirant, however, dismissed the reports and insisted he remained fully in the contest.

“I want to inform the people of Plateau State that I am still in the race. Rumours are flying around that I have stepped down, but I want to make it clear that I remain fully committed to contesting the primary on Thursday,” he stated.

Political observers said the governorship contest had intensified consultations, alignments and underground negotiations among party leaders across the state.

While Governor Mutfwang was expected to rely heavily on incumbency and existing political structures, Yilchini positioned himself as an alternative force within the APC.

“We are not coming to govern without a plan. We have programmes designed with the people at heart,” Bida added.

He promised investments in infrastructure, entrepreneurship, electricity development and security reforms, including plans to strengthen Operation Rainbow.

Read also: 2027: Mutfwang crushes rival, clinches Plateau APC governorship ticket

Material distribution fails to prevent delays

Amid the growing tension, Fidelis Mnyim, the Chairman of the APC Governorship and House of Assembly Primary Election Committee announced late Wednesday that sensitive materials had been distributed across the state.

Speaking during a briefing in Jos, Mnyim assured party members that voting would commence simultaneously in all wards by 8am Thursday.

“We are here with all the materials needed for the exercise, and distribution will commence this evening so that the election can begin by 8am tomorrow across all wards in Plateau State,” he said.

He also disclosed that results from some House of Assembly primaries were already being collated for transmission to the APC National Secretariat in Abuja.

Despite the assurances, the governorship primary had not commenced in several locations as of 1pm Thursday, triggering frustration among party members and supporters waiting at designated centres.

A party insider who spoke to BusinessDay on ground of anonymity linked the delay to last-minute consultations, logistical setbacks and attempts by stakeholders to manage emerging internal disagreements before voting commenced.

Violence erupts during delayed primary exercise

The APC primaries were further overshadowed by violence in Mangu Local Government Area where a man identified as Sani Abdullahi was reportedly killed during a protest by aggrieved party supporters.

The incident occurred at Kasuwan Ali community after security personnel allegedly opened fire while attempting to disperse protesting youths during the delayed House of Representatives primary election.

Ibrahim Sale, an eyewitness said tensions escalated after electoral officials failed to arrive for the scheduled exercise.

“The exercise was supposed to hold on Saturday morning, but it did not take place due to the absence of returning officers,” he explained.

According to him, protesting youths blocked roads to prevent government officials from leaving the venue until the primary was conducted.

“As soon as the security personnel arrived, the youths started throwing stones at them. The security personnel then started shooting, and a stray bullet hit the victim, killing him,” Sale alleged.

The incident sparked outrage within the community as residents demanded justice and called for a full investigation into the killing.

Efforts to obtain official reaction from the Plateau State Police Command were unsuccessful as the police spokesperson did not respond to inquiries at the time of filing this report.

17 aspirants reject Senate, Reps primaries

The crisis trailing the APC National Assembly primaries in Plateau State worsened on Thursday after 17 aggrieved aspirants formally rejected the results of the exercise and demanded fresh elections.

The aspirants, led by Senator Diket Plang, submitted separate petitions to the APC National Assembly Primaries Appeal Committee at the party secretariat in Jos, alleging widespread irregularities and insisting that no credible primaries were conducted in several parts of the state.

The petitions, received by Muhammad Zubairu, the committee secretary came amid growing tension within the party over the outcome of the Senate and House of Representatives primaries held ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Among the petitioners were Beatrice Dakas, Napoleon Bali (Rtd), Victor Lar, ID Gyang, Alphonsus Komsol Logap, Chris Giwa, Ephraim Usman, Gyang Zi SAN and John Tongshinen.

Speaking with journalists after submitting the petitions, Senator Plang alleged that the primaries violated both the Electoral Act and APC guidelines, claiming that no transparent voting process was conducted in most areas.

According to him, party members waited for hours at designated centres expecting to vote, only for results to emerge later under questionable circumstances.

“There was no election in most places. While announcements were still being made that elections would continue, results had already been declared elsewhere,” Plang said.

He accused some unnamed party officials of allegedly allocating votes to aspirants without accreditation, voting or proper collation, describing the exercise as “the worst primary election ever witnessed on the Plateau.”

The senator further claimed that many aspirants only became aware of the results through social media, alleging that agents were denied access to accreditation and documentation processes.

“In my own federal ward alone, we have over 2,000 registered APC members, yet somebody sat down and allocated 1,423 votes to me as a sitting senator. That is offensive, unacceptable and pure blackmail,” he stated.

Plang said the direct primary system adopted by the APC was intended to allow registered party members freely choose candidates, but lamented that the process was allegedly hijacked.

“People stayed from morning till night because they believed they would vote. But suddenly, figures were manufactured in hotels and announced within minutes. That is not democracy,” he added.

The aggrieved aspirants also questioned the credibility of the House of Representatives primaries, alleging that conflicting results were announced in some constituencies.

Particular attention was drawn to the case involving John Tongshinen, whom the aspirants claimed was initially declared winner by electoral officials before another result later surfaced under controversial circumstances.

Despite their grievances, Plang insisted that the group remained loyal to the APC and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, stressing that their protest was aimed at protecting the integrity of the party.

“We are not fighting the party. We are loyal APC members and committed supporters of President Tinubu. But we cannot keep quiet when democratic processes are abused,” he said.

He also warned against attempts by individuals to allegedly impose candidates using the President’s name, saying such actions could destabilise the party ahead of the 2027 general election.

“If the President truly has preferred candidates, let it be communicated officially. Nobody should use the President’s name to blackmail others,” Plang warned.

The aspirants called on the APC national leadership and the appeal committee to nullify the disputed primaries and conduct fresh elections in line with the party’s constitution and electoral guidelines.

They further cautioned that failure to address their complaints could worsen divisions within the APC in Plateau State ahead of the 2027 polls.

“We want APC to move forward on the Plateau, but justice must prevail. If the party desires victory in 2027, then these complaints must not be ignored,” Plang declared.

Governorship aspirant alleges plot to manipulate primary

Yilchini Jan Bida, a governorship aspirant, has also alleged attempts to manipulate results of the party’s ongoing governorship primaries in parts of Kanke Local Government Area.

In a statement on Thursday, Bida claimed that credible reports indicated that results were being prepared in some areas where no accreditation or voting allegedly took place.

The APC aspirant described the development as “a brazen assault on democracy itself” and warned against what he called attempts to replace the will of party members with “fabricated figures.”

He said he personally toured wards and communities across Kanke during preparations for the exercise and witnessed the enthusiasm of delegates and supporters who expected a transparent process.

Bida called on the leadership of the APC, security agencies and other relevant authorities to intervene and protect the integrity of the primaries, insisting that “no ambition is worth destroying the democratic foundation upon which society stands.”

He further warned that Plateau people and posterity would judge those involved in the conduct of the exercise.

The final outcome of the governorship primary was still being awaited at the time of filing this report.

Party faces defining political moment ahead

With alignments shifting and tensions rising, political actors believe the Plateau APC primaries may ultimately redefine the internal balance of power within the party ahead of the 2027 election.

The combination of high-profile defeats, controversial declarations, violence and growing rivalry among political blocs has revealed widening cracks within the party structure.

For many, the primaries have become more than a routine internal exercise but a struggle for the future direction and control of the APC in Plateau State.