Aggrieved aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Plateau State on Thursday submitted separate petitions challenging the conduct of the party’s recent National Assembly primaries.
The aggrieved aspirants presented the petitions individually at the APC state secretariat in Jos to Zubairu Lawal, secretary of the party’s National Assembly appeal committee in Plateau.
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The aspirants alleged widespread irregularities and violations of internal party guidelines, insisting that the exercise fell short of the standards required for a credible democratic process.
After the submissions, the senator representing the Plateau Central district, Diket Plang, addressed journalists on behalf of the petitioners.
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He said that although the petitions were filed separately, they were driven by similar grievances arising from the primaries.
Mr Plang said the petitioners remained loyal members of the APC but could not accept the outcome of a process they believed undermined internal democracy.
Aspirants across districts submit petitions
Those who filed petitions include Chris Giwa, Gyang Zi and Istifanus Gyang, aspirants for the Plateau North Senate seat; Ephraim Gar and M
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Beatrice Dakas, both aspirants for the Plateau Central Senate ticket; and Komsol Longdap, a former member of the House of Representatives for Qua’anpan, Shendam and Mikang federal constituency, who is seeking the Plateau South Senate ticket.
Others submitted petitions over House of Representatives contests, including Tongshineng John, who allegedly that the primary election was altered through conflicting electoral processes.
John Dafaan, the incumbent lawmaker representing Qua’anpan, Shendam and Mikang federal constituency who lost at the primary, had earlier submitted his petition.
Mr Plang added that some of the party aspirants who could not be physically present also filed petitions and were aligned with the concerns raised.
‘No valid Senate primary’
Addressing journalists, Mr Plang alleged that no valid Senate primary election was conducted in the state.
He claimed that voting was abruptly discontinued or never concluded in several locations, while announcements that primaries would resume emerged only after results had been declared elsewhere.
He said similar issues affected some House of Representatives primaries, where conflicting results were announced without timely intervention by party authorities.
“The entire process gave the impression that justice was being denied,” he said.
‘Worst primary in my experience’
Drawing on his experience as a former member of the Plateau State House of Assembly and a long-serving political office holder, Mr Plang described the exercise as the worst primary he had participated in.
He said the party’s adoption of direct primaries, intended to allow all registered members to vote, was allegedly replaced with vote allocation.
“Party members waited until late into the night, despite serious security concerns, only to wake up the next day and hear that votes had been allocated,” he said.
The senator said he was allocated 1,423 votes in the result announced for Plateau Central, a figure he described as “offensive and unacceptable,” arguing that his ward in his constituency had more registered APC members than that number.
Alleged breaches of guidelines
The petitioners accused party officials of multiple procedural violations, including failure to conduct accreditation, absence of ward membership registers at polling centres, non-display of voter figures, and failure to issue result sheets to aspirants or their agents.
“Our agents were present, but there was no accreditation and no official result sheets were issued,” Mr Plang said, adding that aspirants only saw aggregated figures circulated on social media.
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He also alleged irregular appointment and replacement of ad hoc electoral staff and returning officers, with conflicting documents issued during the exercise.
Committee confirms receipt
Mr Lawal confirmed that the appeal committee had received multiple petitions arising from the Plateau primaries.
He said nine petitions related to senatorial contests, and eight for the House of Representatives were submitted.
According to him, all submissions would be forwarded to the appropriate party authorities for consideration in line with APC procedures.
Loyalty affirmed, call for fresh exercise
Despite their grievances, the aspirants said they were not at odds with the party leadership at either the state or national level.
Mr Plang said the group believed in the party’s leadership and its commitment to inclusiveness, but warned against individuals who allegedly invoked presidential endorsement to justify what he described as a compromised process.
They called for the nullification of the disputed primaries and the conduct of a fresh exercise strictly in line with party guidelines and the law.
“We remain loyal to the APC,” Mr Plang said. “But the integrity of the process must be restored if the party is to move forward in Plateau State.”
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