By Christiana Gokyo, Jos
Aggrieved aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Plateau State have submitted petitions to the party’s Election Appeal Committee following the conduct of the Federal House of Representatives and Senatorial primary elections held in the state.
The petitions were submitted on Thursday at the APC Secretariat along Bukuru Express Road in Jos.
Speaking on behalf of the aggrieved aspirants, Senator Diket Satso Plang, who contested for the Plateau Central Senatorial ticket, described the declared results as fake and unacceptable.
Addressing journalists shortly after submitting the petition, Sen. Plang alleged that some individuals assigned fake returning officers and conspired to prevent original result sheets from reaching certain federal wards.
According to him, such actions were aimed at destabilising the APC in Plateau State.
“We are not at war with the APC because it is the party we love. We are also not in conflict with the APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, whom we are satisfied with, nor with the Plateau State Governor, Barr. Caleb Mutfwang, whom we consider accessible,” he said.
He, however, alleged that some people within the party carried out activities without the knowledge of the governor and other party leaders.
Among the aspirants involved in the petition are Sen. Diket Satso Plang, Chris Giwa, Emphraim Usman, Gyang Zi, Sen. Istifanus Gyang, Sen. Victor Lat, AVM Paul Masiyer, Hon. Komsol, Dr. Tongshinen and Barr. Beatrice Dakas.
The aspirants reaffirmed their loyalty to the APC but vowed to resist injustice and called for the nullification of the primaries and the conduct of fresh elections in line with Nigerian laws and the party’s guidelines.
Expressing dissatisfaction with the Plateau Central senatorial results, Sen. Plang said his federal ward of Fier alone has over 2,000 registered voters, making it impossible for him to score only 1,423 votes across the five local government areas of Bokkos, Mangu, Pankshin, Kanke and Kanam.
“As a sitting senator, the result is unacceptable. It is a blackmail of the process, and I consider it very offensive. This cannot be tolerated,” he stated.
He described the aspirants as respected politicians, distinguished businessmen and captains of industry who could not have received the votes allegedly allocated to them.
Sen. Plang and other aspirants also questioned the nature of the exercise, saying they were unsure whether it was a consensus arrangement or an actual election.
According to him, none of the aspirants was contacted by party officials from Abuja or elsewhere to step down for any consensus candidate.
He further stated that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is known to be inclusive and forward-looking, adding that some contestants may have misrepresented the President by claiming they had been endorsed as consensus candidates.
Sen. Plang added that even if consensus candidates were to emerge, such candidates should have consulted and secured the backing and signatures of other contestants before their emergence.
