The Plateau State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has officially declared Hon. Yusuf Gagdi as the winner of the party’s House of Representatives primary election for the Pankshin/Kanke/Kanam (PKK) Federal Constituency, dismissing earlier reports that another aspirant had emerged victorious.
The development follows confusion that trailed the primary election conducted across the constituency over the weekend, after conflicting results surfaced from the exercise.
Earlier reports had claimed that Gagdi, who currently represents the constituency in the House of Representatives, lost his bid for a third term to Dr. John Tongshinen. The reports alleged that Tongshinen scored 29,968 votes to defeat Gagdi, who was said to have polled 5,849 votes.
However, speaking to journalists in Jos on Monday, Chairman of the APC Plateau State Primaries Electoral Committee, Stella Okotete, described the earlier declaration as unauthorized and without constitutional backing.
According to her, Barrister Nandom Andrew Kura remains the only duly appointed returning officer for the PKK federal constituency primary election and the sole official empowered to announce the authentic result.
“Barrister Nandom Andrew Kura is the duly recognized returning officer for the PKK Federal Constituency primary election and the only person authorized by the committee to officially announce the result,” Okotete said.
She further warned party members and the public against recognizing any result announced outside the authority of the electoral committee.
“Any announcement made outside the authority of the electoral committee is null, void, and should be disregarded,” she added.
Following the clarification, Kura officially announced Yusuf Gagdi as the winner of the APC primary election conducted across the 36 wards in the constituency.
Reacting to the declaration, Gagdi insisted that the primary election was peacefully conducted in line with party guidelines and properly monitored across all wards.
“The primary election was peacefully conducted across the 36 wards in line with the guidelines of our great party,” Gagdi stated.
The lawmaker also maintained that the exercise was credible and transparent, noting that the process was backed by accreditation records, photographs, and video evidence.
“We have accreditation records, photographs, and video evidence to prove the credibility and transparency of the exercise,” he said.
Gagdi dismissed rival results circulating on social media, insisting that one of the declarations lacked legal standing.
“The constitution and guidelines of the party clearly vest the power to appoint election officials in the electoral committee. Any declaration outside that authority is null and void,” he added.
He also accused Daspan Ishaya, who earlier announced Tongshinen as winner, of acting without authorization from the APC electoral committee.
The conflicting declarations triggered confusion and tension among APC supporters across Pankshin, Kanke, and Kanam, with rival celebrations reportedly taking place in different parts of the constituency.
The controversy has further raised concerns about internal disagreements and the credibility of the APC’s primary election process in Plateau State ahead of the 2027 general elections.
