The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in Niger State conducted its primaries across the 25 local government areas ahead of the 2027 general elections last Saturday, but the exercise was marred in several constituencies by allegations of candidate imposition, irregularities and protests by aggrieved party members.
In Chanchaga Local Government Area, three aspirants initially contested for the party’s House of Representatives ticket before the incumbent lawmaker, Abubakar Audu Buba, stepped down from the race in what supporters described as a move to promote unity within the party.
In Bosso Local Government Area, six aspirants contested for the APC ticket to represent the Bosso/Paikoro Federal Constituency, while voting in some wards across the state reportedly started late due to heavy turnout and logistical challenges.
Despite the delays, security personnel maintained order, and no major violence was reported in the Chanchaga and Bosso/Paikoro constituencies.
However, the primaries in the Gurara/Tafa/Suleja and Shiroro federal constituencies were reportedly disrupted by allegations of candidate imposition, leading to protests and disagreements among party members.
In the Mokwa/Lavun/Edati Federal Constituency, former Speaker of the Niger State House of Assembly, Adamu Usman, emerged as the party’s consensus candidate.
Public outcry nevertheless trailed the exercise in several local government areas, with aggrieved members accusing party officials of manipulating the process and imposing aspirants.
One of the aspirants in Paikoro Local Government Area, Adamu Makun Sheikh, alleged that elections were conducted in only a few of the 11 wards before the process became inconclusive.
He claimed the exercise was rescheduled for Sunday morning, but officials failed to appear at the venue.
According to him, “We were all at the venue, but none of the officials showed up.”
Against this backdrop, the aspirant threatened to take legal action if the reported irregularities were not addressed.
Similarly, an APC aspirant for the Magama/Rijau Federal Constituency, Shehu Samaila Auna, rejected the emergence of Professor Yakubu Auna as the consensus candidate for the constituency.
In a statement made available to journalists in Minna, he described the development as a unilateral decision that did not reflect the collective will of party members in the constituency.
He called on the APC National Working Committee and the party’s State Executive Committee to set aside the consensus arrangement and conduct a direct primary election, citing Article 20 of the APC Constitution and Section 84(9) of the Electoral Act.
According to him, no written agreement was reached among aspirants to support a consensus candidate, insisting that the adoption of Professor Yakubu Auna amounted to imposition under the guise of consensus.
APC primaries in Niger marred by imposition allegations, protests across constituencies