A major crisis has erupted within the Plateau State chapter of the All Progressives Congress following the rejection of the party’s National Assembly primaries by no fewer than 17 senatorial and House of Representatives aspirants, who described the exercise as a “sham” and demanded its cancellation.
The aggrieved aspirants, led by serving Senator Diket Plang, stormed the APC Secretariat in Jos on Thursday where they submitted petitions to the party’s National Assembly Primaries Appeal Committee, insisting that no credible election was conducted across the three senatorial districts of the state.
The petitions were formally received by the committee secretary, Hon. Muhammad Lawal Zubairu, amid growing tension over the conduct of the primaries.
Among those who filed petitions were Mrs. Beatrice Dakas, AVM Napoleon Bali Rtd., Sen. Victor Lar, Sen. ID Gyang , Hon. Alphonsus Komsol Logap, Amb. Chris Giwa, Chief Ephraim Usman, Gyang Zi SAN and Dr. John Tongshinen, among others.
Addressing journalists after the submission, Plang alleged that the primaries lacked transparency and failed to comply with the provisions of the Electoral Act and APC guidelines.
According to him, party members across the state waited endlessly at designated voting centres from morning till late night without any voting process taking place, 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,” he said.
The senator accused unnamed party officials of allocating votes to aspirants without accreditation, voting or collation, describing the development as “the worst primary election ever witnessed on the Plateau.”
Plang further claimed that many aspirants only became aware of the declared results through social media platforms, 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.
The lawmaker insisted that the direct primary option adopted by the party was designed to deepen democracy and allow every registered member participate freely in candidate selection, lamenting that the process was allegedly hijacked by individuals bent on manipulating outcomes.
He said, “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.”
The aggrieved aspirants also raised concerns over alleged inconsistencies in the House of Representatives primaries, claiming that conflicting results were announced in some constituencies.
Tongshinen’s case particularly drew attention, as the aspirants alleged that he was initially declared winner by electoral officials before another set of results surfaced later under controversial circumstances.
Plang maintained that the group remained loyal to the APC and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, stressing that their action was aimed at protecting the integrity of the party rather than undermining it.
“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 added.
The senator warned that attempts by certain individuals to impose candidates under the guise of presidential endorsement could destabilise the party ahead of the 2027 elections.
“If the President truly has preferred candidates, let it be communicated officially. Nobody should use the President’s name to blackmail others,” he said.
The aspirants called on the appeal committee and the national leadership of the APC to nullify the disputed primaries and conduct fresh exercises in line with constitutional provisions and party guidelines.
They warned that failure to address the grievances could deepen internal divisions within the party in Plateau State.
“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.
