Concerned members and stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Pankshin, Kanke and Kanam (PKK) Federal Constituency have petitioned the party leadership in Plateau State over the conduct of the House of Representatives primary election, alleging irregularities in the collation and declaration of results.
The petition, addressed to the APC State Chairman in Plateau State, by the House of Representatives aspirant, Hon. John Tongshinen Gozhak, was read publicly by Sadiq Abdullahi Kwaltomai on behalf of concerned party members and stakeholders at the State Party Secretariat in Kalwa House, Jos South Local Government Area of the State on Tuesday.
The petitioners expressed concern over what they described as the rejection of results collated by officers officially appointed and communicated by the Plateau State APC Secretariat before the primary election.
According to the petition, all aspirants and stakeholders had accepted the list of designated collation officers in good faith, believing they were duly authorized by the party to supervise and collate the election results.
They stated that the appointed officers conducted the exercise and completed the collation process without any objections to their authority, only for reports to later emerge that their work had allegedly been disregarded by officials deployed from the party’s National Secretariat.
The stakeholders further alleged that individuals whose names were not on the original list of collation officers subsequently assumed responsibilities related to the processing and certification of election results after the officially appointed officers had concluded their assignments.
“This development has generated widespread concern across Pankshin, Kanke and Kanam because it raises serious questions regarding the integrity and credibility of the process,” the petition stated.
The aggrieved members questioned why officers officially communicated by the state secretariat would be sidelined after carrying out their duties and demanded clarification on the authority under which alternative officers allegedly emerged.
They also sought answers on which results genuinely reflected the votes cast by APC members during the primary election, insisting that the issue goes to the heart of internal democracy and institutional credibility within the party.
Addressing journalists after the petition was read, Gozhak insisted that he had been entrusted with the mandate of party members across the constituency and vowed to continue demanding justice until what he described as the authentic outcome of the election was recognized.
“I was freely entrusted by the people of PKK. Suddenly, we saw in circulation an alternative AI-generated aspirant, AI-generated results, declaring one Hon. Yusuf Gagdii as the winner,” he said.
The aspirant maintained that the agitation was not about timing but about safeguarding democracy, adding, “There is no timeline for demanding justice. As long as it is not clear and certain people are boasting on the streets that they are winners, we will keep agitating until the right thing is done.”
Gozhak expressed confidence in the APC leadership in Plateau State to address the grievances, saying the party remained strong enough to resolve its internal challenges and uphold democratic principles.
“We have made a promise in Plateau State that we are going to deliver two million votes to the President, and that is only anchored on internal democracy. APC must lead by example,” he declared.
The petitioners demanded an immediate review of the primary election, a comprehensive investigation into the alleged displacement of duly appointed collation officers, protection of party structures, and measures to ensure that the genuine votes cast by APC members are respected. They reaffirmed their loyalty to the APC while urging the party leadership to defend internal democracy and uphold the will of grassroots members.
As at the time that the petition was read at the Party Secretariat in Kalwa House, no state party official was on ground to receive the aspirant and his supporters.