Adamawa APC Reps Primary Crisis Deepens as Aspirants Reject Alleged Poll Cancellation, Candidate Imposition

A fresh crisis has erupted within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Adamawa State after several aspirants for the House of Representatives accused the party of cancelling the scheduled primary election and attempting to impose the incumbent lawmaker as the party’s candidate.

The aggrieved aspirants, who addressed journalists in Yola, alleged that the primary election slated for Saturday did not take place despite the party’s official timetable, raising concerns over what they described as a violation of internal democracy.

They claimed that party stakeholders informed them that directives had been issued to maintain the status quo by returning the incumbent candidate, a move they said undermined the aspirations of other contestants.

One of the aspirants for the Gombi/Hong Federal Constituency seat, Hon. Musa Usman Terrang, condemned the alleged development, describing it as unacceptable and contrary to the principles of fairness and due process within the ruling party.

According to Terrang, no accreditation of delegates or voting took place at the designated centres, despite party members and stakeholders being aware that the primary election was scheduled for the day.

He urged the national leadership of the APC to immediately investigate the circumstances surrounding the alleged cancellation and ensure that democratic procedures are followed in selecting the party’s candidate.

Terrang noted that Nigeria’s Electoral Act permits political parties to adopt direct, indirect or consensus methods for nominating candidates, but stressed that any consensus arrangement must be based on the voluntary agreement of all aspirants.

He maintained that such agreements must be properly documented and free from intimidation or coercion, warning that imposing a candidate without broad consensus could trigger legal and political disputes capable of affecting the legitimacy of the party’s candidate ahead of the 2027 general election.

The aspirants insisted that adherence to due process was essential to preserving internal party democracy and maintaining the confidence of members in the APC’s nomination process.

As of the time of filing this report, the Adamawa State chapter of the APC had yet to respond to the allegations.