By SEKYEN WALSHAK
Former aspirant in the All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Representatives primary for Pankshin/Kanke/Kanam Federal Constituency, Hon. Tongshinen Gozhak, has petitioned the Plateau State chapter of the party, alleging irregularities in the conduct and collation of results from the exercise.
In a petition addressed to the state chairman of the party and submitted on Tuesday, Gozhak, acting on behalf of concerned party members and stakeholders, questioned the handling of the collation and declaration of results.
He alleged that officials originally appointed by the Plateau State APC Secretariat to oversee result collation were sidelined after the election despite having been formally communicated to aspirants before the exercise.
According to the petition, aspirants participated in the primary on the understanding that the designated officers had the authority to supervise and collate results from the various voting centres.
Gozhak maintained that the officers carried out their responsibilities and submitted results in line with their mandate but expressed concern that officials allegedly deployed from the party’s National Secretariat later displaced them.
He further alleged that individuals whose names were not among those earlier communicated to aspirants subsequently assumed responsibility for processing and collating election results.
The petition said the development had raised concerns among party members across Pankshin, Kanke and Kanam LGAs and cast doubt on the transparency of the exercise.
Gozhak questioned why the authority of the original collation officers was allegedly disregarded, under whose authority alternative officers emerged, and which set of results reflected the votes cast during the primary election.
He argued that any alteration of established procedures after voting could undermine confidence in the party’s internal democratic processes.
The former aspirant said the petition was aimed at seeking redress within the party and should not be interpreted as hostility toward its leadership.
He called on the Plateau APC leadership to investigate the circumstances surrounding the alleged replacement of the duly appointed collation officers and determine the procedural basis for the emergence of alternative officials.
Among other demands, the petition sought protection of established party structures, preservation of votes cast by party members, and measures to strengthen transparency and accountability in future primaries.
Gozhak reaffirmed his loyalty to the APC and expressed confidence that the party would address the concerns in the interest of justice and unity.