Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Some members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Plateau State, mostly youths from the Pankshin, Kanke and Kanam (PKK) Federal Constituency, staged a peaceful protest on Tuesday, 7 July 2026, at the party's state secretariat in Jos, alleging the imposition of a candidate in the party's House of Representatives primary election. The demonstrators, carrying placards with inscriptions such as "Protect Internal Democracy," "Our Votes Must Count," "Respect Party Structures," and "Justice for PKK Constituency," submitted a petition challenging the outcome of the primary election that produced the incumbent lawmaker, Yusuf Adamu Gagdi, as the party's candidate for the 2027 House of Representatives election.
The petition, signed by one of the aspirants, Hon. John Tongshinen Gozhak, on behalf of concerned party members and stakeholders, alleged that officials from the party's national secretariat had disregarded the authority of designated collation officers and introduced other individuals into the collation process. "It came as a profound surprise to party members and stakeholders when reports emerged that certain officials or agents deployed from the National Secretariat rejected, displaced or otherwise disregarded the authority of the very officers whose names had earlier been officially communicated by the Plateau State Secretariat," the petition read.
Addressing party officials during the protest, the demonstrators said they were demanding justice, fairness and transparency in the party's internal democratic process. They insisted that the integrity of the APC must be protected ahead of the 2027 general elections. The petitioners argued that if officers duly appointed and communicated by the Plateau State Secretariat could successfully conduct their assignment, collate results and submit same, only for their work to be subsequently disregarded or displaced, then the confidence of party members in the integrity of the party's internal democratic processes would be inevitably undermined.
They called for an immediate review of the primary election and a thorough investigation into the alleged replacement of collation officers. The protesters also demanded steps to ensure that the genuine votes cast by party members were protected and accurately reflected in the final results. Gozhak said the aggrieved members chose peaceful engagement because they remained committed to the party. "We have therefore chosen the path of peace, dialogue, and lawful engagement. Our peaceful protest and presentation of this petition should be understood as an appeal for justice within the party and not as an act of hostility against the APC," he said.
In a related development, ward presiding, local government and constituency collation/returning officers who conducted the APC House of Representatives primary election for the PKK Federal Constituency alleged that some aggrieved aspirants mounted pressure on them to discredit the outcome of the exercise. Speaking under the aegis of the Forum of Ward Presiding Officers, Local Government Collation Officers and Constituency Collation/Returning Officers, the officials claimed that some aspirants approached election officials, urging them to sign affidavits that contradicted the facts surrounding the 16 May 2026 primary election. According to the forum's Chairman, Chinwatda Tapar, some officials were allegedly offered monetary inducements, while others were subjected to pressure and intimidation to secure their cooperation.
Tapar explained that the APC National Secretariat appointed the officials through the committee constituted for the conduct of the 2026 National Assembly primary elections in Plateau State, chaired by Hon. Stella Okotete, to conduct the primary election in the PKK Federal Constituency. He maintained that the exercise was conducted peacefully, transparently and in full compliance with the party's constitution and guidelines, after which the winner was duly declared and returned. The forum disclosed that it had preserved relevant information regarding the alleged contacts and approaches and would make such evidence available to the appropriate law enforcement agencies, the APC, or any court of competent jurisdiction whenever necessary.
As of the time of filing this report, neither Gagdi nor the Plateau State chapter of the APC had officially responded to the allegations contained in the petition. The protest and the counter-allegations by election officials have deepened the controversy surrounding the PKK primary election, highlighting rising internal competition within the APC in Plateau State ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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