APC primaries fail to hold as officials fail to show up

There was confusion on Saturday following the absence of election officials for the direct primaries of the All Progressives Congress in the Jos North/Bassa Federal Constituency of Plateau State.

According to the timetable obtained from the Jos North Local Government Chairman of the APC, Hon. Shehu Inuwa Liti, the congress was scheduled to take place across the 14 federal wards in Jos North Local Government Area.

However, as of 5:30 p.m., congress officials had yet to arrive at several wards, including Ali Kazaure, Jenta Apata, Abba Na Shehu, Naraguta ‘A’, Naraguta ‘B’, Sarkin Arab, Tafabalewa, Zarmaganda, and Vandapuye wards.

Reports from other wards in Jos North LGA, as well as all 16 wards in Bassa LGA, also indicated that election officials were absent.

A visit to Zarmaganda Polling Unit at RCM Primary School in Jos South Local Government Area also showed that election officials were absent, while electoral materials had yet to arrive.

Speaking with journalists, an APC member in Ali Kazaure Ward, Usman Abdullahi, expressed concern over what he described as possible irregularities in the process.

“We were told that the congress would begin by 8:00 a.m. We came here to vote for the aspirant of our choice, but this is already 4:30 p.m. I have gone and returned here four times, yet none of our party officials has arrived,” he said.

Abdullahi warned against any attempt to impose candidates through endorsement rather than allowing party members to vote openly.

“They should know that we will not accept any endorsement of candidates. We are sensing that irregularities are setting in. APC should know that the best thing is for an open congress to take place,” he added.