The conduct of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary election in Langtang South Local Government Area of Plateau State has continued to generate mixed reactions, with several party members expressing dissatisfaction over the process, while the council chairman described the exercise as peaceful and successful.
Some card-carrying members of the APC in the local government area had earlier condemned what they described as an undemocratic process of producing candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The aggrieved members spoke in Sabongida and Mabudi federal wards during the governorship primary election monitored by our reporter in the area.
Mr. Nankpak Audu, who served as campaign director for one of the House of Assembly aspirants during Wednesday’s primary, expressed disappointment over the conduct of the exercise, describing it as “selection and not election.”
According to him, party members were initially excited when the APC announced that it would adopt direct primaries in line with the Electoral Act, but alleged that the process was later marred by irregularities.
“What happened in our ward was that we went for the primary election and waited to exercise our franchise, but the electoral officials did not come. Later, we heard that another name had already been submitted for the Langtang South House of Assembly position,” he alleged.
He added that many members had lost confidence in the process and no longer saw the need to participate in future primaries if the outcome had already been predetermined.
Another party member, Mrs. Manko Haruna, said she and about 50 women deliberately appeared in black attire to protest what they described as repeated injustice during the primaries.
She alleged that during previous primaries, including those for the House of Representatives and Senate, members queued and voted, but the eventual winners announced did not reflect the will of the people.
“On Wednesday again, for the House of Assembly primary, people waited but no election was held, only to hear later that a winner had emerged from an election that never took place,” she said.
A chieftain of the party in Langtang South and APC candidate in the 2024 local government elections, Hon. Rev. Oliver Bongnim, also faulted the process, claiming that decisions were allegedly being made by a few individuals without allowing party members to freely exercise their voting rights.
“People are no longer willing to come out because they believe their votes will not count. Even during the House of Assembly primary on Wednesday, people gathered in their wards with nobody attending to them, yet figures were later announced,” he stated.
Bongnim called on party leaders at both the state and national levels to allow internal democracy to thrive and ensure that future elections are transparent, peaceful, and credible.
He stressed that as the ruling party in Nigeria, the APC should set an example for other political parties by promoting fairness and democratic principles.
Despite the complaints from some members, the Chairman of Langtang South Local Government Area, Hon. Nanfa Alhassan Nbin, expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the Governorship primary election across the 10 federal wards of the council.
Speaking after voting at his Sabongida Federal Ward, the chairman described the exercise as peaceful and orderly.
“The accreditation, counting, and collation at both the ward and local government levels were successfully conducted,” he said.
Nbin attributed the large turnout of party members to the performance of Plateau State Governor, Barrister Caleb Mutfwang, whom he described as “a governor of the people.”
“The governor has provided roads and water, while the council is also doing its best. People are happy and motivated, and that is why they came out in large numbers,” he added.
He further expressed optimism that voter turnout would increase during the general elections due to the level of mobilization and ongoing developmental projects across the state.
At the end of the election, results collated from the 10 federal wards showed that the incumbent Governor, Barrister Caleb Mutfwang, polled a total of 9,266 votes, while Comdr. Yilchini Jan Bida scored 276 votes.