Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Representatives primary election collapsed completely in Toto Local Government Area of Nasarawa State on Saturday, May 16, 2026, as party members in all 12 wards were left stranded for hours before the exercise was abandoned due to the complete absence of election materials and polling officials. The failure, which drew angry protests from thousands of card‑carrying members, occurred despite assurances by the party’s Primary Election Committee for the state, led by Mr. Musa Mohammed Guri, that the exercise would be free, fair, and credible. In Toto LGA, no materials arrived, no officials appeared, and no voting took place at any of the designated centres across the entire local government area.
The Toto LGA debacle was the worst manifestation of widespread logistical failures that plagued the APC House of Representatives primaries across Nasarawa State on Saturday. In Lafia, Keffi, Doma, Nasarawa Eggon, and Akwanga, voters were left stranded for hours as voting failed to commence until late in the afternoon. In Keffi, the headquarters of Nasarawa West Senatorial District, distribution of materials did not begin until after 3:00 p.m. Similarly, at St. Williams Primary School in Gayam Ward, Lafia Local Government Area, no officials were on the ground as of about 1:23 p.m. when a correspondent visited the area. Many voters who had earlier queued eventually abandoned their positions and sought shelter from the scorching afternoon sun. Visibly angry youths from a rival camp were seen expressing dissatisfaction and openly criticising the party over the delay.
The Toto LGA collapse was particularly egregious given the area’s political significance. Toto is one of the five local government areas that constitute the Nasarawa West Senatorial District, a region that is home to key political figures including Senator Ahmed Wadada Aliyu, who represents the district, and former National Chairman of the APC, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, who also monitored the exercise. The failure of the primary to hold in all 12 wards has left thousands of party members disenfranchised and raised serious questions about the party’s organisational capacity and its commitment to internal democracy. One party member, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told reporters, “We have been here since 8 a.m., waiting. No materials, no officials, no explanation. This is not democracy. This is a total collapse of the process.”
The Toto LGA APC Chairman, Salihu Fancy, who had earlier urged residents to participate fully in the party’s e‑registration exercise and support the re‑election of President Bola Tinubu and Governor Abdullahi Sule, was not immediately available for comment on the collapse of the primary. However, a party source in the local government area confirmed that the failure was due to a combination of factors, including the non‑dispatch of election materials from the state capital, Lafia, and the absence of any supervising officials from the party’s Primary Election Committee. The source added that efforts to reach the committee chairman on Saturday were unsuccessful, leaving party members in the dark about whether the exercise would be rescheduled.
Senator Wadada, who monitored the primary at his Tudun Kofa electoral ward in Keffi, acknowledged the widespread delays but did not specifically address the Toto LGA collapse. He described the late arrival of materials as “unfortunate” and attributed it to logistical challenges. “It is quite unfortunate, but it may be due to logistics. I cannot explain what caused the late arrival, but whatever the reason, I believe it should be addressed ahead of future elections,” Wadada said. He also called for strict enforcement of party regulations on fake membership cards, warning that “any membership card not authenticated by the party should be confiscated, and the bearer arrested.”
Senator Abdullahi Adamu, the former National Chairman of the APC, who monitored the exercise in Nasarawa State, commended officials of the party’s national secretariat for ensuring the process proceeded peacefully despite the delays, but he did not comment on the Toto LGA situation. The Chairman of Keffi Local Government Area, Dr. Idris Ahmed Damagani, expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the exercise in his domain, describing the process as peaceful and seamless. However, for party members in Toto LGA, the experience was anything but seamless, and the silence of party leaders on the failure has only deepened their frustration.
The collapse of the APC primary in Toto LGA is the latest in a series of organisational failures that have dogged the party’s primary elections across the country. In Lagos State, the APC House of Representatives primaries were similarly disrupted by the late arrival of electoral materials and officials, forcing party members to wait for several hours before accreditation and voting could begin. At Ejigbo Ward F5 and Isolo Ward F1 in Oshodi-Isolo Federal Constituency, accreditation and voting experienced significant delays, mirroring the chaos seen in Nasarawa State. In Plateau State, anxiety gripped several wards in Jos North Local Government Area as party members and supporters were left stranded for hours due to the non‑arrival of electoral materials and party officials.
The failure of the primary in Toto LGA has also intensified concerns about the party’s ability to conduct credible and transparent primary elections across Nasarawa State. In the days leading up to the exercise, the Nasarawa State Government had raised the alarm over fake member cards and delegate lists circulating among members of the APC, urging aspirants to be disciplined and follow the rules. The state government had also assured aspirants and members of the party of a free and fair primary election, but the Toto LGA collapse suggests that these assurances were not backed by effective planning and execution.
For the thousands of APC members in Toto LGA who were denied the opportunity to vote, the failure of the primary is a bitter blow. Many had travelled long distances to reach their designated polling centres, only to find no officials and no materials. Some had taken time off work, while others had made financial sacrifices to participate in the exercise. Their voices, their votes, and their democratic rights were simply ignored. As one party member put it, “We are not asking for much. We just want to choose our candidate. Is that too much to ask?” The APC leadership now faces the urgent task of either rescheduling the primary in Toto LGA or explaining why an entire local government area was disenfranchised. Either way, the damage to the party’s credibility has already been done.
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