The crisis trailing the All Progressives Congress 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.
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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.
Read also: Hyacinth Alia wins Benue APC governorship primary in landslide victory
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 elections.
“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.
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