The All Progressives Congress (APC) has reversed the outcome of the House of Representatives primary election in Pankshin/Kanke/Kanam constituency, Plateau State, declaring Yusuf Gagdi as the official winner. The initial result, which named John Tongshinen as the winner, was deemed unauthorized by the party's primary election committee chairman.
APC Disowns Earlier Result
The ruling party disowned the earlier result that had declared Tongshinen the winner. Incumbent lawmaker Yusuf Gagdi was declared the winner on Monday, May 18, 2026, at the APC state Secretariat in Jos. One Monday Daspan had earlier declared Tongshinen the winner with 29,968 votes to Gagdi’s 5,849 votes at the constituency headquarters in Pankshin.
Committee Chairman Clarifies
The Chairman of the APC Plateau State Primaries Electoral Committee, Stella Okotete, stated that the first declaration was unauthorized. Okotete dismissed the earlier results, explaining that only the returning officer had the mandate to announce results. She emphasized that only the officially appointed returning officer, Nandom Kura, had the constitutional authority to declare the results of the primary election. Any prior announcements made outside this mandate were invalid and should be disregarded.
Following Okotete's explanation, Kura officially declared Yusuf Gagdi as the winner of the APC primary election for the PKK federal constituency, which was held on Saturday.
Gagdi Defends Election Process
Gagdi insisted that the process was duly conducted across all 36 electoral wards, with evidence including accreditation records, videos, and photographs to support the credibility of the exercise. The Chairman of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Navy alleged that the earlier declaration attributed to Daspan Ishaya was fraudulent. Gagdi stated that Ishaya was not appointed by the electoral committee and therefore lacked the authority to announce results.
Violence During Primaries
Recall that a man was shot dead during the APC primary election for the House of Representatives seat in Plateau State. Disagreement over delayed primary election sparked protests among members of the ruling APC. A resident identified as Ibrahim Sale said soldiers fired shots after being pelted with stones by protesting youths.
In related developments, Adamu Abubakar won the APC House of Representatives primary election for Chanchaga with 30,650 votes. Alhaji Abdullahi Mahmud secured Lapai APC primary election victory with 8,559 votes. Professor Yakubu Auna was crowned the winner in Magama/Rijau APC primary election.
