By Mardiyyah Abubakar
Some members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Plateau State staged a peaceful protest at the party’s state secretariat in Jos, alleging the imposition of a candidate in the House of Representatives primary for the Pankshin, Kanke and Kanam (PKK) Federal Constituency.
The protesters, mostly youths from the constituency, marched with placards reading: “Protect Internal Democracy,” “Our Votes Must Count,” “Respect Party Structures,” “Justice for PKK Constituency,” and “APC Must Uphold Fairness.”
They also submitted a petition challenging the primary election that produced incumbent lawmaker Yusuf Gagdi as the APC candidate for the 2027 House of Representatives election.
The petition, signed by one of the aspirants, John Gozhak, on behalf of concerned party members and stakeholders, alleged irregularities in the collation and declaration of results.
Addressing party officials, the protesters said they wanted justice and transparency in the party’s internal democratic process. They insisted the APC must protect its integrity.
According to the petition, the Plateau APC leadership had earlier communicated the names of designated collation officers to all aspirants before the primary election. The officers reportedly collated results from the various voting centres.
However, the petition alleged that officials from the party’s national secretariat later sidelined the designated 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 stated.
The aggrieved members said the development raised doubts about the credibility of the primary election and the authenticity of the results that produced Gagdi as the APC candidate.
They called for an immediate review of the primary election, a thorough investigation into the alleged replacement of collation officers, and measures to ensure that party members’ votes were protected and accurately reflected in the final results.
“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,” Gozhak said.
The petitioners also urged the Plateau APC leadership to uphold established party structures and restore members’ confidence in the party’s internal democratic process.
As of the time of filing this report, neither Yusuf Gagdi nor the Plateau State chapter of the APC had responded to the allegations.
