Aggrieved party members during the protest in Kaduna
Aggrieved aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the three senatorial districts in Kaduna State on Tuesday rejected the outcome of the party’s senatorial primary elections, alleging widespread irregularities and violations of party guidelines.
The aggrieved aspirants, led by former Senator Danjuma Laah, alongside Michael Ayuba Auta and Yusuf Bala Ikara, staged a protest shortly after addressing a press conference at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) secretariat in Kaduna.
The protesters, who arrived with hundreds of supporters, called on the National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC to cancel the primaries conducted in Kaduna North, Kaduna Central and Kaduna South senatorial districts and conduct fresh direct primaries under the supervision of the party’s national leadership.
Addressing journalists on behalf of the group, the aspirants alleged that the exercise violated provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 and the APC constitution.
They particularly faulted the Kaduna South senatorial primary which produced Senator Sunday Marshall Katung as winner, claiming that the process lacked transparency and failed to follow approved procedures.
According to them, the exercise was marred by the absence of proper voting procedures, inadequate deployment of electoral officials and non-compliance with the direct primary mode earlier approved by the party leadership.
“The National Working Committee approved direct primaries for the exercise, but what was conducted was an illegal delegate system. Party members were denied the opportunity to vote at ward level as stipulated in the guidelines,” the group alleged.
The aspirants further claimed that electoral materials and party officials were not adequately deployed to several wards and polling centres across the senatorial districts.
They argued that the conduct of the primaries contravened Section 84 of the Electoral Act 2022 and Article 20 of the APC constitution relating to nomination procedures and internal democracy.
The protesters appealed to the APC national leadership, the party’s appeal committee and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to intervene and ensure a transparent and credible process.
Among other aggrieved aspirants mentioned were former Speaker of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, Yusuf Zailani, and Mohammed Mu’azu Makkadas.
The group warned that failure by the party leadership to address their grievances could threaten unity within the APC ahead of the 2027 general elections.
