CITIZENS COMPASS—The primary election organised on weekend, by the All ruling Progressives Congress (APC) ended in chaos in Igabi Local Government Area (LGA) of Kaduna state as some aggrieved youths from the party confronted their chairman, Bashir Jibrin Jaji, to express dissatisfaction about the election.
The youths said they were dissatisfied with the Federal House of Representatives primary election in the area.
There were allegations by some party members that the exercise was manipulated in favour of one of the aspirants.
Two aspirants, Sani Abdulkadir Dakaci and Hussaini Jalo, contested for the Federal House of Representatives position.
Trouble reportedly started when some youths insisted that there was no proper accreditation or vote counting during the process, claiming that party officials later announced Jalo as the winner without any transparent procedure.
Eyewitnesses’ accounts said the situation escalated when angry supporters stormed the APC office in Rigachikun to protest what they described as an unfair outcome.
A video circulating on social media showed the party chairman being escorted into a vehicle by some youths amid the heated protest that followed the disputed result.
One of the party members, Musa Salihu, alleged that supporters were made to queue for the exercise but were never formally counted before the result was declared.
“We lined up, but nobody counted us. Suddenly, they came out and announced Jalo as the winner. That cannot be called an election because no proper process was followed,” he said.
Another supporter, Musbahu Idris, also faulted the conduct of the exercise, saying members were directed to a collection centre where they had waited since early morning expecting accreditation and voting to commence.
According to him, confusion arose when the result was later announced without any visible voting process at the designated venue.
However, a supporter of the APC chairman, Haruna Sani, defended the exercise, insisting that the primary election was valid and that Hussaini Jalo legitimately won.
He explained that tensions rose when some youths attempted to attack the chairman at the party office but were resisted before the situation degenerated, leading to the chairman being moved for safety.
The allegation of injustice is not correct. The election was conducted properly and the winner emerged accordingly. The situation got out of hand when they tried to attack the chairman,” he said.
Meanwhile, a Member, Federal House of Representatives representing Ikorodu Constituency in Lagos State, Hon. Babajimi Benson, has defeated his opponent, Olugbenga Shittu, to secure his fourth term ticket for the House of Representatives seat on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
