Fresh cracks have emerged within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Plateau State as aggrieved Party members staged a peaceful protest over the outcome of the House of Representatives primary election for the Pankshin, Kanke and Kanam (PKK) Federal Constituency.
The demonstrators, made up largely of youths from the constituency, marched to the APC state secretariat in Jos on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, accusing Party leaders of imposing a candidate and demanding a transparent and credible internal democratic process.
Carrying placards with inscriptions such as “Protect Internal Democracy,” “Our Votes Must Count,” “Respect Party Structures,” “Justice for PKK Constituency,” and “APC Must Uphold Fairness,” the protesters insisted that the integrity of the Party must not be compromised.
The protesters also submitted a petition challenging the outcome of the primary election that produced the incumbent lawmaker, Yusuf Adamu Gagdi, as the APC’s candidate for the 2027 House of Representatives election.
The petition, signed by one of the aspirants, Hon. John Tongshinen Gozhak, on behalf of concerned Party members and stakeholders, alleged irregularities in the collation and declaration of the primary election results.
Addressing Party officials during the protest, the demonstrators said they were not out to cause trouble but to demand justice, fairness and transparency in the Party’s internal democratic process.
According to the petition, the Plateau APC leadership had officially communicated the names of designated collation officers to all aspirants before the primary election, and those officers duly collated results from the various voting centres.
However, the petition alleged that officials deployed from the Party’s national secretariat later disregarded the designated collation officers and introduced other individuals into the process, leading to the declaration of a different outcome.
The protest is the latest twist in the controversy surrounding the PKK Federal Constituency primary, which has generated competing claims over the outcome since the exercise was conducted in May. The dispute has fueled growing calls from Party stakeholders for the APC leadership to ensure transparency and protect internal democracy ahead of the 2027 general elections.
