By Emmanuel Awari-Jalingo
An aspirant under the platform of the All Progressive Congress APC, Engr. Mu’azu Sambo Jaji has describe the Governorship primary in the state as purported and call for its cancellation.
Engr. Jaji, a former Minister of Works represented by the Director Communication and Research, Dr. Ishaq El – Quasim, made the call while briefing Journalists in Jalingo.
He said that following careful collation of reports, field observations, video recordings, photographs, incident reports, and testimonies received from agents and supervisors across the 168 wards in the 16 Local Government Areas of Taraba State, they are compelled to state that no credible, transparent, lawful, or verifiable governorship primary election conducted in substantial parts of the State.
“Contrary to Section 84 of the Electoral Act, 2026, the APC Constitution, and the applicable guidelines governing direct primary elections, the purported exercise was characterised by widespread irregularities, the absence of accreditation, voter disenfranchisement, intimidation, procedural failures, the exclusion of agents, and apparent manipulation of results.
“We, the undersigned concerned party members, citizens, stakeholders, loyalists, agents, supervisors, and supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Taraba State, hereby express our profound concern regarding the conduct of the purported APC Governorship Primary Election held across Taraba State.
“As committed members and stakeholders of our great party, we consider it necessary to speak out in the interest of justice, internal democracy, party unity, and the long-term electoral fortunes of the APC in Taraba State and Nigeria at large.
“We remain loyal to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and are firmly aligned with the renewed hope agenda and the re-election of President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR. We acknowledge the sacrifices, commitment, and leadership demonstrated by President Tinubu in repositioning Nigeria and strengthening democratic governance.
“We also acknowledge the mature, peaceful, and statesmanlike conduct consistently demonstrated by Mu’azu Jaji Sambo, whose supporters and political structure across Taraba State have remained calm, law-abiding, disciplined, and resolutely committed to the unity and stability of the APC despite the obvious irregularities that characterised the purported primary election.
He pointed out that, the Electoral Act is clear that where a political party adopts the direct primary system, only duly accredited and verified party members are entitled to participate in the voting process.
“Accreditation is therefore not a mere formality but a fundamental legal requirement intended to guarantee transparency, credibility, fairness, and verifiability.
According to him, reports from across Taraba State revealed the widespread absence of accreditation procedures, membership verification, and designated electoral officials, as well as a complete failure of lawful voting processes.
“Party members who assembled peacefully at polling locations across the State were left unattended without accreditation, voting materials, or proper electoral officials. In many locations, there were no orderly voting arrangements, no counting of accredited voters, no transparent sorting of votes, and no lawful declaration or collation of results.
“The complete failure to conduct accreditation and voter verification amounts to substantial non-compliance with the Electoral Act, 2026 and fundamentally undermined the integrity, legality, and credibility of the purported exercise.
“Particularly disturbing were developments in Jalingo Local Government Area, where reports from our agents indicated that only in Sintali Ward was the exercise partially “allowed” to proceed, while confusion, intimidation, disruption, and absence of process characterised several other wards.
He reveal that at Muhammadu Nya Primary School, Hassan Primary School, Lamorde Primary School, and Sabon Gari Primary School in Jalingo, reports and video evidence from the field showed that individuals presented as election officials arrived alongside political actors and party officials, after which the process degenerated into disorder, inducement of voters, intimidation, disruption, and eventual abandonment of polling locations without any transparent accreditation or lawful voting process being conducted.
“The same pattern was replicated across numerous wards in the State, as clearly established by the collated reports and corroborative testimonies of ward agents, polling agents, field supervisors, and party members.
“We are equally concerned by credible reports indicating that certain political office holders and party officials allegedly moved to undisclosed locations where figures and purported results were prepared outside any observable lawful voting process before being taken to Fast Track Hotel, Jalingo, for announcement and collation.
“Furthermore, agents, polling agents, and collation officers representing Mu’azu Jaji Sambo were, at no point whatsoever, accorded their lawful right of presence for observation, monitoring, participation, or objection during the purported collation and result management process, while selected party officials and government functionaries reportedly enjoyed unrestricted access to the collation venue at Fast Track Hotel, Jalingo – he said.
According to him, reports received from several wards indicate that his agents and representatives were systematically excluded from critical stages of the process, including accreditation, sorting, counting, collation, and announcement of purported results, thereby completely undermining the transparency, neutrality, and credibility expected of a democratic primary election.
“These developments created the unfortunate impression of a predetermined, one-sided process and severely undermined public confidence in the integrity and legitimacy of the purported exercise.
“We must respectfully state that the large-scale disenfranchisement of party members, violence, intimidation, procedural irregularities, and exclusionary conduct associated with this purported primary election have serious negative implications for the APC’s image, credibility, public perception, and electoral fortunes ahead of the 2027 general elections in Taraba State.
Jaji disclose that if not urgently addressed, such developments risk discouraging genuine party members, alienating grassroots supporters, weakening public confidence in the party’s commitment to internal democracy, and providing unnecessary political ammunition to opposition forces ahead of the general elections.
“As loyal stakeholders of the APC, we believe that our great party must never be associated with conduct capable of bringing its democratic credentials into disrepute before the Nigerian people and the international community – he added.
The Former Minister call on the National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC, the Governorship Primary Election Appeal Committee, relevant security agencies, and concerned authorities to immediately investigate the widespread irregularities and unlawful acts that characterised the purported governorship primary election in Taraba State, Reject and nullify the purported results arising from the flawed and unlawful process;
Cancel the purported governorship primary election for gross non-compliance with the Electoral Act, 2026, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), the APC Constitution, and applicable party guidelines;
Sanction all persons found to have participated in acts capable of undermining the integrity and democratic foundation of the party; and
Direct the conduct of a fresh, free, fair, credible, transparent, and inclusive governorship primary election in strict compliance with the Electoral Act, 2026 and APC guidelines.We remain committed to peace, party unity, internal democracy, and the continued progress and success of the All Progressives Congress under the leadership of President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.