By Aloysius Umalo, Makurdi
Stakeholders and elders of the All Progressives Congress in Kwande and Ushongo Local Government Areas of Benue State have rejected the outcome of the party’s House of Representatives primary election for the Kwande/Ushongo Federal Constituency held on May 16, 2026, alleging widespread irregularities and manipulation of the process.
In a press statement jointly signed by Hon. Barrister Vincent Uji for Kwande elders and stakeholders, and Major J.O. Mayange (Rtd.) for Ushongo elders and stakeholders, the group described the exercise as flawed and inconsistent with the wishes of party members who participated in the election.
The stakeholders alleged that from the beginning of the exercise, agents of aspirants were denied the opportunity to monitor the distribution of electoral materials, a development they said undermined the transparency and credibility of the process.
According to the statement, elections were peacefully conducted at the ward level, where results collated by agents reportedly showed that Hon. Terseer Ugbor secured 12,784 votes to emerge winner of the primary election by a wide margin.
They, however, expressed shock that the process became compromised during collation of results at the Local Government Area level, alleging that agents were denied access to collation centres by thugs allegedly working with security personnel stationed at the venues.
The forum also expressed surprise over the eventual declaration of Mr. Shadrach Kohol Iornem as winner of the primary election, alleging that the aspirant scored only 7,286 votes based on figures obtained by their agents across the wards.
The elders and stakeholders further accused the APC National Assembly Primary Election Committee, led by Sabiu Saidu Mahota, of announcing what they described as “false and misleading” results that allegedly did not reflect the actual votes cast during the exercise.
They also alleged that electoral materials arrived late at several polling units, causing frustration among delegates and party members, with many reportedly leaving before voting commenced.
The group maintained that the figures eventually announced by the committee were “manufactured, inflated and fake,” insisting that they bore no resemblance to the actual accreditation and participation recorded at the polling centres.
The stakeholders further argued that the National Assembly Primary Election Committee exceeded its mandate by allegedly declaring results instead of merely collating and forwarding them to the national secretariat of the APC for final ratification, as stipulated in the party’s guidelines.
Consequently, the forum called on the national leadership of the APC to reject the announced results for the Kwande/Ushongo Federal Constituency and institute an independent investigation into the conduct of the primary election.
They insisted that the ward-level results represented the genuine mandate of delegates and warned against what they described as attempts to impose a candidate through manipulation and intimidation.
The stakeholders, however, appealed to party supporters and members to remain calm and peaceful, expressing confidence that justice would ultimately prevail.
