Plateau APC primaries: Senator Plang, other aspirants petition party, allege irregularities

By Golok Nanmwa

Jos – A group of All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial aspirants in Plateau State, led by Senator Diket Plang, has petitioned the party’s national leadership, alleging widespread irregularities in the conduct of the party’s senatorial primaries.

Speaking on behalf of the aggrieved aspirants, Plang, who is a serving senator, said no credible primary election was conducted in most parts of the Plateau North Senatorial District.

He stated that the group had formally submitted a petition to the party’s appeal committee, calling for a review of the process in line with established guidelines.

According to him, the direct primary system adopted by the party was meant to allow all registered members to participate in choosing candidates, but alleged that the process was compromised.

“In many places, no election was conducted. Where attempts were made, the exercise was either disrupted or not concluded, yet results were announced,” he said.

Plang described the situation as unacceptable, alleging that figures were arbitrarily allocated without actual voting.

“For someone to sit somewhere and allocate votes is very offensive and cannot be tolerated,” he added.

The senator, who listed his political experience as a former councillor, local government chairman, commissioner and member of the State House of Assembly, insisted that the exercise fell short of democratic standards.

He also alleged that party agents were denied access to polling centres, while results were not properly documented or made available to contestants.

“Our agents were not allowed to function. No voters’ registers were displayed, no accreditation was done, and no result sheets were given to aspirants or their representatives,” he claimed.

Plang further expressed concern over what he described as attempts by some individuals to impose candidates under the guise of presidential endorsement.

He cautioned against dragging the name of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu into the process, insisting that the President had not publicly endorsed any aspirant.

“We believe in our President, but nobody should claim to be his candidate without clear evidence. That is misleading,” he said.

The lawmaker maintained that the aggrieved aspirants remain loyal members of the APC and have no intention of undermining the party.

“We are not at war with the party or its leadership, but we will resist any attempt to subvert the will of the people,” he stated.

He added that those present during the submission of the petition include Senator Diket Plang, Humphrey Gar, John Dafaan, John Tongshinen, Chris Giwa, Mrs. Beatrice Dakas, Gyang Zi and Komsool Longjap.

Plang expressed optimism that the party’s appeal committee would address their grievances, warning that failure to do so could undermine confidence in the internal democratic process.

“We have submitted our petition and expect the right thing to be done. Democracy must be upheld,” he said.

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